The ProfessionARC
by Cr00cy
Summary: Combat schools spend millions on creating the newest generation of Hunters. They had forgotten the old way, the hard way...the right way.
1. Prologue

**AN. Hi guys and girls it's Cr00cy with my first story. If you come here from epilogue to Fighting Mean - you can skip to the bottom, this is the same text you read there. If you never read FM and just come here at random - welcome, and i hope you will enjoy this short preview/prologue/intro (and do yourself a favor and go read Fighting Mean by Jiu-jitsu dude)**

 **I do not own RWBY. If I did Jaune would know how to fight from start.**

 **Also, big thanks to JJD - who not only convinced me to write it, but also works as beta-reader and co-author for this story.**

 **JJD: What's going on everybody? First off, Cr00cy is being waaayyy too generous with that co-author bit, this has been his baby and I'm excited to be a part of it. Hopefully some of you have made the journey over from Fighting Mean and will enjoy this story (with its snark, violence, and humor). Here we go!**

* * *

Jaune let out a pleased sigh. The weather was nice, despite it being September. The Arc family was visiting one of many small villages on the outskirts of Vale. Officially, it was in celebration of whole family gathering - his father just come back from a near nine months long mission. Unofficially, it was to cheer up Jaune after his rejection from the local combat prep school.

He had tried to convince them he wasn't upset about it anymore, but they had insisted.

 _Well, it's not like a family holiday is bad thing_. Thought Jaune.

 _Plus, for once it's Dad who gets to help Mom with girls. I can finally have some time for myself…_

He was shaken from his thoughts by an accusation. "You're late!" The eleven years-old red-haired, green-eyed girl in front of him shouted. She wore a simple white dress, a straw hat with a wide rim, and some flowers stuck into it, and was currently pointing a finger at him, condemningly.

 _...and her._

Jaune sighed again, but smiled nonetheless.

"Hi Samantha. Sorry about that, Rubin didn't want to let me go."

She tapped her mouth with one finger a few times, stopped, and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I shall forgive you this once… for two ice creams." Was her gracious offer.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I saw stall over there, let's go."

She nodded, smiled, and took his hand.

Samantha was the daughter of some of his Dad's oldest friends. They first met around three years ago - when her parents came to visit their old friend. At first, Jaune thought she was just another young girl he would have to take care of. She proved him wrong almost instantly. She and Jaune had become fast friends - which of course prompted tons of teasing from his sisters, and both of their parents.

Samantha was an only child, and her parents spoiled her whenever they could. He wouldn't say she was arrogant - but she was very strong-willed. All this seemed set to breed conflict between the two of them, but somehow, it had just...worked out.

Jaune appreciated Samantha's blunt honesty, and her strong drive and determination in reaching whatever goal she set for herself.

She in turn respected Jaune for his non-intrusive caring, and dedication to taking care of his sisters. He wasn't dotting on them, could put on a hard stance when needed, or let them make they own mistakes when he deemed it safe enough.

Jaune bought Samantha the promised ice creams - vanilla, and strawberry - and spent the next hour or so just wandering around the small village with her.

"So, what are you going to do now?" She asked.

They leaned on the wooden handrail of the small bridge on the outskirts of village. The river that flowed beneath wasn't too deep, but its current was strong. The two of them were throwing pieces of bread, and watching fishes below trying to catch the easy food.

"Not sure. But, I can kiss a Hunter carrier goodbye, that's for sure." He said wistfully.

She looked at him, her eyes narrowing.

"You're going to give up? Just like that?" She accused.

Jaune smiled.

Giving up was one of two things Samantha hated most. The other was coming late to a set meeting - something Jaune unfortunately had a habit of doing. But hey - if he didn't HAVE to hurry, he liked to take it easy. Afterall, taking care of six younger (and sometime one older) sisters was very taxing on a man.

"It's not giving up when there are no options left. I might try again next year - but it's even harder to get in late. You would have to be at least at the same level as the average student. I haven't had enough time to train up till now, and now there is even more girls I have to take care of."

"So what are you going to do now?" She repeated her previous question.

"Probably help Mom with her medicines. Turns out I'm pretty good at it. Even made few things myself."

"Where did you bury the bodies? I haven't heard of a mass murder in Silver Lake, so there couldn't have been too many victims." She teased.

Jaune just shook his head. Why an eleven year old girl had such a sharp tongue, and such morbid sense of humor - was beyond him.

"Well, you can ask your our dads. They're both been taking my motion sickness medicine for a few weeks now." He answered.

The look of surprise on her face was priceless.

"Hmph. Then maybe you have some uses other than childcare… or as my wallet."

"Sure. I guess that means you don't want a piece of this chocolate cake I made…" he said, looking away from her.

The sudden gasp from her was something he had expected - Samantha had sweet tooth rivaled by no one. And he WAS good at making sweets - he had to survive with so many sisters somehow.

What he didn't expect was the sound of cracking wood, and a loud splash.

When he looked back, Samantha, and the section of railing she was leaning on, were gone. He ran to other side of bridge - just in time to see her being carried away by the strong current.

Later, when he was recalling these events, he could never remember exactly how he got into water. One moment he was staring at Samantha's white dress drifting further, and further away, the next he was in water, desperately trying to catch up to her.

By some miracle, he managed to reach her - and then the fight to keep both of their heads above water began. Jaune didn't know how long it lasted - but when current slowed enough for him to swim to shore, he had never been so exhausted and ached all over. His vision was swimming, his lungs burned, and each breath was painful. The trip in the river was rough one - he had earned quite a few close encounters with the rocks. The only saving grace was that Samantha had calmed down at some point, and stopped struggling.

But she could help now.

Thought Jaune after he dragged both of them to the shore. He laid on his back, next to his friend, desperately trying to caught his breath.

"Hey Samantha, you ok?" he asked, turning towards the girl.

There were no response.

"Samantha?"

The only sound was that of flowing water and wind in the leaves.

Jaune pushed himself up and looked at his friend - she laid in the same position he left her, eyes open wide, not moving.

Jaune gulped, dragging himself to her, and put his ear close to her mouth.

He neither felt nor heard anything.

The sudden cold he felt had nothing to do with fact he was completely drenched.

 _Calm down. Mom and Dad taught you first aid. You know what to do, just stay calm._

He took deep breath, held it, and let it go.

 _Step one: check if the victim is breathing._ She wasn't.

 _Step two - call help. I can't - I don't have scroll, and there is no one around. But, there were a few people around - I remember them screaming. Someone is bound to call for help._

 _Step three - start CPR._

He moved over to his motionless friend and started to press on her chest. His mind raced.

 _What was the routine? 2 breaths for every 20 pushes? 10? How fast should I do it? Damn, I can't remember!_

He could feel his eyes began to sting.

 _Am I pushing hard enough? Or maybe too hard? Am I even doing it in the right place? The heart was on the left side, right? But was it there? Or maybe higher? Does it even matter? Shit, I don't know!_

His arms were aching, and his breath was coming in labored gasps.

 _I can't stop. I absolutely can't stop - not until help arrives._

A rustle of leaves, and the sound of breaking branches filled him with hope.

 _Someone's coming!_

The low growling that followed killed the hope instantly.

 _Something. Something has come._

Several more rustles, and growls sounded.

 _Something's. Shit! What do I do? I could try to drag the Grimm away… but she'll die if I stop! But if I don't do something she'll die too! What can I do? My arms hurt, I can't keep this up for long._

Tears were streaming down his face.

 _Someone help.. Please, someone, anyone…_

He heard heavy steps coming closer.

 _Don't look up. If you see them you'll panic. They still haven't attacked, maybe they won't if you don't do anything to tick them off. Just don't look up._

He looked up.

Just in time to see the Beowolf jump at them, maw wide open.

What he didn't see is whatever cut said Beowolf in two.

All he noticed was the blurry shape that ran past the beast. All he heard was "keep it up, kid!" Screamed by said blurr. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Jaune had been too focused on the motionless girl under him.

 _Breath! Please breath Sam! You can't leave me! Who's going to tell me not to give up if you're not here?!_

He couldn't feel his arms anymore, just a vague pressure, and jolts of pain.

"Switch, kid." A calm voice sounded, and pair of arms appeared in Jaune vision. He vaguely recalled a feeling that he shouldn't let this stranger place his hands on his friend, his Samantha, but couldn't remember why. So instead he collapsed on his back, taking gulps of air, and wondering if he really needed lungs to live.

The last thing he heard before passing out was more rustling and more voices - thankfully human this time.

* * *

He awoke slowly. First his sense of feeling returned, then hearing, and then he realized he had been staring at the ceiling for few moments. An unfamiliar ceiling.

He looked around the room. All the walls were wooden, and covered in animal pelts. There were a few covering the floor too. The room itself wasn't large - in fact it could be considered rather small. The bed he was lying on, covered most of the length of one wall. There was a nightstand next to him with his belongings laid out on it.

"Finally awake kid?"

He looked to his left. There, sitting at small desk, under the only window in the room, was man Jaune vaguely recognized. Armor, swords, hair so pale that it looked grey… or maybe white? Then he recalled their meeting just few weeks ago - just after he failed his entrance exam to the local combat prep school.

"You're the Hunter with motion sickness."

"And you're the kid that runs around city serving medicine to strangers."

"What's your name anyway?" Jaune asked.

The older man seemed to consider for a second before answering. "Call me Leon."

"I'm Jaune." The boy reached his hand out instinctually, before wincing and clutching his side.

"Easy there kid. You have two cracked ribs. Nothing too serious, but it'll be annoying for few weeks."

Jaune looked at older man and opened his mouth to ask a question.

"We're at the Hunter's Rest. It's a pub in a small settlement about an hour walk from Vale's west gate. Brought you here around twenty hours ago - you slept the whole time. Girl that was with you is fine - she was taken to the clinic, and woke up about six hours ago. Doctor said there is no reason to worry, and they signed her out on her parents' wish. Anything else you want to know?"

Jaune blinked few times then said.

"My family…"

"Downstairs. With all your sisters, your friend, and her parents. Looks like they're getting along with Mei and Tob - they own this place"

Jaune's stomach growled loudly. "Can I get something to eat?"

His companion laughed, but it sounded a bit nervous.

"Considering the last I saw your mom and Mei they were in the kitchen, I would say that yes, you will get 'something' to eat."

Jaune gulped. This might be… bad.

"Could you… like, not tell them I'm awake?

"I could… but I think it's a bit too late for that." He said pointing at the door.

And the small brown-haired, girl that stood there, green eyes wide open.

 _Rubin… no._

"Rub…" Was all he managed to say before she ran away screaming "Jaune is awake" at the top of her lungs.

"Any last wishes?" The man next to him asked with a serious voice.

"Bury me under the big chestnut tree on the northside of Silver Lake"

"Will do." The man shook his head. "Before we get swamped, let's get down to business kid. I have an offer for you."

"An offer?"

"Yeah. You wanted to be a Huntsman right?" He waited for Jaune to nod. "Well, you might have failed that entrance exam, but out there with that girl? The way you jumped after her? Well, that's about the most Huntsman thing I've ever seen. You still wanna to be one, kid?"

"More than anything." Jaune whispered.

"Then how about becoming my student?" Jaune stared at man, mouth wide open. "Don't think it will be easy. You will suffer under my tutelage. You will know the true meaning of hardship. You may not even survive. You will gain something, but you will unquestionably lose something of yourself as well." He stared into Jaune's eyes. "What say you boy?"

He stared back. "I belong to my family first. If they can spare me, I'm yours."

The old Huntsman grinned. "Well, I think we won't have to wait long."

Seconds later, a tide of very concerned women washed over the small room.

* * *

Jaune's recovery took about a week. During this time, the Arcs and Samantha's family become fast friends with Mei and Tob. Now they were all sitting in Hunter's Rest main hall.

Everyone was staring at Jaune - most of them excited.

Jaune was staring back - not sure if he heard right.

"Come again?" he asked dumbly.

"Oh come on! What there is to not understand?" This was Samantha - she looked irritated, but he could still see how the tips of her mouth curled up.

"We thought about it a lot, and decided we owe you at least this much. I couldn't give all help I could've - and should've. And with all the contracts I have, there is no guarantee I will be able in the future. As hard as it is for me to say - this is all I can do for you." Said his father.

"But..the girls.."

"They're growing up, honey. Cere can help.." a loud 'hey' interrupted his mother's speech.

"Cere and Rubin can help with taking care of rest." She amended.

"But they're too young…"

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up, to his father smiling face.

"They are much older than you were, when you started helping with raising your sisters. It's time for you to follow your dreams, not push them aside for family's sake."

"So…" Jaune gulped "So, I can become Hunter?"

"Depends on you, kiddo. You have guts to jump in to help others. Even if this means you lose something important, like your dream - or your life. So you have right attitude. What you lack is skill, and experience. Fortunately for you, both can be gained - if you're willing to work for it."

He was. He was willing to work harder than anyone.

He looked at his family - all of them were giving him supporting smiles, few of them gave him reassuring nods.

He looked to Samantha - she gave him thumbs-up and mouthed "go for it."

Finally, he looked at man who offered him chance to achieve his dream.

Jaune took deep breath and gave his answer.

The man nodded.

* * *

 _And to think I considered refusing._

Jaune Arc smiled at the memory.

 _Can't believe almost four years have passed._

He looked around. It was dark, but he could make out small patches of upturned earth. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the night forest.

It was so peaceful.

 _Won't be for long…_

He thought, hearing the heavy footsteps approach.

Jaune Arc smiled.

His prey had come.

* * *

 **AN. Well hello folks to my first story. It was in my head for a year now - and thanks to JJD's encuragment i decided to finally write it. There are few things that i know people will ask in reviews, so I answer few of this questions now:**

 **1)This is slight AU. Not by much, and it will follow cannon storyline, but i added few things.**

 **2)This will be slight crossover-ish story. With what you ask? Well, try to guess. I'll** **throw few hints here and there, and make it clear in ch 3.**

 **3) About chapters - this is just prologue. Official first chapter will go out this Monday. Ever next chapter will be going on Monday too. How often? I can't say for sure - i will aim for weekly updates, but I won't rush chapters. Quality over quantatity, and all this stuff.**

 **4)Paring - undecided. I'm not sure if I include romance at all. We will see.**

 **5)Rated T for violence, swearing and puns. My change later.**

 **6)Jaune will be experienced and well trained in this story - but not Op. He already activated his semblance, and its pretty much the same thing he has in cannon. I just took a … creative approach to what it might be able to do.**

 **7)Oc's - there will be few, but they won't be too important for plot. They will pop from time to time to explain few AU elements, or as comedic relief. Main focus will be Jaune and rest of RWBy main cast.**

 **Ok that is for now. Please like, suscribe, and all that jazz.**


	2. Grimm, Bears, and Dragons

**Welcome to ch 1 of The ProfessionARC. Made readable by JJD.**

 **I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

 **CH 1**

Every ecosystem has an Apex predator. Something that stands above the rest, something that brings order to the chaos. Take the Alpha Beowulf for instance:

It stands twice as tall as its more common brethren, it has claws and teeth that can cleave through flesh and steel with equal ease, it has limited intelligence that makes it far more dangerous than any physical advantage it has over other Beowolves, and it can run at incredible speeds.

Our Alpha Beowulf is currently running at those speeds...our Alpha Beowulf is not currently the Apex predator.

The new Apex predator of the forest had appeared in a flurry of cold steel and colder rage. It had killed the Alpha's pack. It had killed them with fire, it had killed them with choking gas, it had driven them into carefully laid traps. It was in hot pursuit of the Alpha now. There could be no question of who owned the forest.

The Alpha's head whipped back and forth, its heightened senses trying to locate the new threat.

It didn't have to look far. It skidded to a halt as its eyes fell upon the new predator, standing directly in its path.

The new Apex stood well short of the Alpha. It carried two blades, one out and gleaming, slick with the blood of its pack, and another still sheathed on its hip. The new predator's cloak billowed in the wind, pulling the hood off to reveal a crop of messy blond hair.

The Alpha growled and readied itself for the coming battle - there could only be one king of the forest.

Jaune Arc stood steady under the gaze of the creature - there could only be one king of the forest.

The Alpha roared as it shot forth, razor sharp claws extend and ready to rend the flesh of the usurper.

" _Jaune, do you know the dumbest thing they teach people at combat prep schools?"_

Jaune stepped aside and let the assault flow by, blade cutting into the exposed flesh of the passing beast. Fear brought on the creature's desperation, and desperation would get you killed, it had killed the pack.

" _It's that you should FIGHT Grimm."_

The Alpha howled in agony and turned to kill it pursuer.

He was no longer there.

It buckled as it felt something bite into its leg, rendering the limb useless. It tried desperately to catch the boy with its claws or snapping maw. The young man danced, and blow after blow glided by as if predetermined by fate. The Apex was untouchable.

" _Now, now, don't give me that look. I'm serious. You should never, EVER, try to fight Grimm"_

The new predator's foot caught on something on the forest floor, its stance shifted, it hesitated for a moment. The Alpha knew this would be its best, and only chance to reclaim its throne.

" _What you should do…"_

The Alpha lunged, its maw gapping as it bore down on its now vulnerable assailant. It was met with a new piece of steel, this one halting the beast assault, as the shield slammed into the Beowulf's skull. The Alpha was reeling, its limited mind searching for an escape, a way to stop the pain.

The Apex didn't make it wait long.

" _... is kill them"_

Jaune's blade sliced into, and through the Alpha's throat, removing its head in a single stroke. He watched as the lifeless body fell at his feet and began to fade.

He spoke for the first time that night.

"What a pain in the ass."

He looked towards nearby mountain, and barely visible cave

"Guess it's time to finish this job."

* * *

Jaune Arc stared at monster in front of him. He knew he couldn't fight it - nor could he afford to run. He didn't feel fear, but rather resignation. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be here - but he took the contract, and thus had to do the job. Running away now would be… unprofessional.

He sighed, looking over the beast again - its oval, relatively small head, when compared to rest of the body. Long wings, stretching almost 20 meters, and a big, round belly, that he knew he would see from inside soon enough. Just like the forty or so people behind him.

And just as the monstrosity let out mighty roar, and started to stir to life - a voice sounded. It was female, calm, sounded bored, and somehow, pleased at the same time, when it announced cruel fate of every person in this gathering:

"Passenger plane to Vale taking off in ten minutes. All passengers, please board the ship. I repeat, all passengers please board airship to Vale"

Jaune sighed again and followed the crowd to the boarding ramp. It's not that he was afraid of flying - it was not a option in his line of business. He just didn't really care for the experience. It might have something to do with his motion sickness. Sure, Aura helped a lot, as did his self-made herbal medicine, but still, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Taking a seat close to window, and on far end of plane, he took one last look at the town he spent the past few days in.

It was small, more of a village really, but it had bar, hospital (one with actual doctors, and decent equipment), and - what was perhaps the biggest surprise - a rather large library. The only reason it had airport, one with regular flights to and from Vale, was because area was quite pleasant, and relatively free of Grimm. This made it a popular resting spot for Vale's middle and upper class. Jobs in this area were usually easy, and paid well - perfect for a lone freelancer like himself.

This had been one of those jobs - escorting some VIP family. Three day trip, relatively safe area, and the client covered the cost of lodging. Jaune smiled. They turned out to be very nice people. The biggest problem he encountered on the job was his client nine years old daughter. She was quite spoiled, but after some… negotiations she and Jaune had come to an understanding.

Sweets - they had yet to fail him.

 _Heh, it's almost like first time I met Samantha._ His eyebrows narrowed. _Come to think of it, I haven't visited her in months._

On second day of his job he received the message from his old mentor. Apparently, he'd received the request from some old friend of his own, and couldn't take it because he was already on the job in Atlas. Not wanting to leave his old pal to deal with some… _amateurs_ , he'd recommended Jaune.

" _My friend will get an (almost) professional to help him, and my (former) student a good, legit job. Plus there will be a special bonus - just for you,"_ were his words _._ What this "special bonus" was supposed to be - he had no idea.

Jaune winced when plane took off. Aura, and his self-made medicine, worked in tandem to calm down his stomach, and bring the well-know agony to much more manageable levels. The flight to Vale would take around three hours. Not enough to catch any real sleep - something he often did to forget about his motion sickness - so instead, he decided to plan out his next steps.

He knew little about his new client - they exchanged only a few words through scroll (voice chat only at that), and besides a meeting place and time, he didn't get anything from him. That wasn't so strange - many people hiring freelance Hunters preferred to not say too much over scroll. You never knew who might be listening after all.

The voice on other end of call had been calm, pleasant, definitely male, and neither young or old. Jaune had no idea who man might be - his teacher didn't see fit to include this little detail into their brief conversation - though he did see fit to complain how bad the weather in Atlas was this time of the year, and how expensive alcohol is in frontier villages.

Oh well, he would find out soon enough he supposed. The meeting was set in 2 days at a small restaurant on the outskirts of Vale. Jaune actually knew the place well - and had many fond memories of it. It was popular spot for business meetings, and resting spot for people travelling to and from Vale. He'd visited it often, back when he was still learning the ropes with his teacher. He smiled thinking back on it. Food was good, served in big portions, and at reasonable prices. The owner was a retired Hunter - still well known, and well connected, despite not being active for over a decade. Jaune really liked the man - not only for his vast knowledge about anything Hunter-related, but also for his dry, sarcastic humor. And his stories - can't forget about those. Jaune spent many nights listening to the older man's tales, sitting in front of fireplace, and sipping warm herbal tea his wife made.

He shook his head, breaking out of his reminiscing. He had planning to do.

They'd be in Vale in less than 2 hours. The meeting would be the day after tomorrow, 8 am at "Hunter's Rest," which meant he had about day and half for himself. So what did he need to do?

 _First things first,_ he thought as he mentally ran through the checklist for "meeting with new client step-by-step guide," his teacher had taught him.

 _First - secure a resting place, food and drink._ Well that was easy - he had plenty of money from his last job. He could easily afford a decent hotel room for 2-3 days.

 _Second - scout out the meeting place._ Another easy one. He knew "Hunter's Rest" like the back of his hand - it being the go-to bar with his mentor. He had spent as much time, if not more, there by himself as well - he even worked there for a few months as part-timer during last winter.

 _Third - learn as much as you can about client._ Ok, that one was going to be a bit harder. He had absolutely no idea who he would be meeting with. Nothing to even start investigating. _Oh well, I guess I will be going into it dark. Not first time - nor the last."_

 _Forth - have at least 3 different escape routes._ Jaune chuckled at that. He doubted he would be the one needing an escape route if things went south. Not only did the client come recommended from a… trustworthy... source, the owner of Hunter's Rest really disliked people causing trouble in his establishment. Especially if it was towards people he considered friends. That, and the fact he still could beat an Ursa to death - sometimes _with_ another Ursa - added to the reasons why the place was so popular. People felt safe there.

 _Fifth - be at meeting place at least half an hour before the appointed time._ Hmmm, how should he go about that one? There were no decent hotels close to the meeting place, but he could find something close to the airport and catch cargo bullhead going in that direction - most pilots wouldn't mind picking him up for a few extra lien. Unfortunately, no buses were going in that direction so early.

" _Or,"_ Jaune thought " _I could just crash at Old B's place."_

He smiled. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Not only would he sleep a little easier, but the food was better than any a hotel could provide, and he would be at meeting place _far_ before the client. Plus, Old B might know something about who he would be meeting, or even about the job itself.

" _That, and it would save me from trying to explain why I haven't come to visit the moment I landed in Vale."_ It's not like he didn't want to - quite the opposite. The old couple had basically adopted Jaune the moment he showed up at Hunter's Rest, and became fast friends with rest of his family. Now every Arc child considered them their grandparents, and would often come to visit. But for Jaune it still felt a bit wrong to take advantage of them like that. " _Heh, the B's would kick my ass for even thinking that."_

With plan now formed, Jaune started to wonder what to do with all the free time he had left. There were still some supplies he needed to buy, but that would take only a moment. He could visit a bar for drink or two - but that might lead to some uncomfortable conversations if the owner decided to ask of his ID. He scoffed at that - yeah he was 17, so technically still a minor, but for fuck's sake - if he was old enough to kill bloodthirsty monsters, hellbent on destroying all off man-and-fanuskind, he should be able to buy something a little stronger, right?

" _Nevermind, I bet B will share some of his…'special' tea."_ He immediately smiled at the idea. "Old's B's Special Strong Herbal Tea" was a little secret only a chosen few were privileged to. Oh sure, it was on the menu - but that was the regular version. The few who earned old's man trust, and friendship, could sample the… _special…_ version.

Let's just say there were less _"tea"_ , and more _"strong"_ and " _herbal"_ in it _._

That Jaune not only was among the privileged ones - but also knew the recipe (and was the one who added "herbal" to it), was a secret kept even from the old man's wife.

" _Heh, I wonder what would mom say if she knew what I'm using her lessons for."_ Jaune's mom was quite a skilled herbalist, able to make various medicines, teas, and cosmetics. To her (and his sisters' - all seven of them) joy, young Jaune proved not only very interested in learning his mother's craft, but also very talented.

He paused at the thought.

" _Come to think about it, I haven't talked with my parents or sisters in a while. How long has it been - a month? Two? Maybe even more. They are probably starting to get worried."_

He briefly considered going to CCT tower immediately, but discarded the idea. He was starting to get hungry, and he knew for a fact talking with his family was never a short affair - he would have to assure every one of them that he was ok, he was eating well, wearing warm clothes, and not getting in more trouble than absolutely necessary. And with him wanting to hear all of the family updates - it was bound to take several hours.

" _I'll do it tomorrow. Today I'll buy what I need, go to Old's B place, drop my stuff, see if he has any info on this job, then grab something to eat and call it a day. Tomorrow I'll call the family. Maybe look for some souvenirs for girls? Haven't visited home in almost half a year now - depending how this job turns out, I might be able to finish it quickly and then go home for few weeks."_

With the plan now formed, he went into action. First supplies - it had taken him only a moment. He already knew where to look, and he didn't need much - the last few jobs were surprisingly easy. Plus, he didn't need that much in the first place - he felt like he was only one who didn't have a weapon that was also a gun, so he didn't need ammo. He wasn't too dependant on Dust either.

Next was catching a ride to Hunter's Rest. This would be a bit tricker - it was on opposite side of Vale - and outside its walls. Thankfully, he lucked out - there was a cargo bullhead heading that way, and the pilot - an old dog faunus Jaune recognized as one of Hunter's regulars - was all too happy to pick him up in exchange for help with loading and unloading cargo.

The trip took longer than he expected - the sun was already starting to set when they finally reached their destination. Jaune thanked the pilot for the ride, and took in his surroundings. A few wooden houses, surrounded by a sparse forest, a Police station, a small clinic, and the bullhead dock he just left. All of this surrounded by a solid, wooden palisade. Overall, the place looked like what someone who never left Vale would imagine a frontier town to be - close enough, but too lively, too clean, and with far better defenses. That's why many people called it "Little Frontier" - despite it being only about hour walk from Vale.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he headed straight for Hunter's Rest. It was big, 2 story building, made from wooden logs. The front wall was painted to depict hunting scenes - stylized Hunters fought with various Grimm - or animals. It was hard to tell sometimes. On both sides of solid, oak doors stood full-sized sculptures of Ursas. The beast were standing on their hind legs, holding a sign reading "Hunter's Rest" in their outstretched paws.

Pushing the doors open, he entered the spacious, well lit room. Several round, wooden tables filled the room, many already occupied. He looked towards counter just as one of patrons called out.

"Hey, Tob! Give us another round of your special whisky!"

Behind the counter a gigantic frame rose up. Jaune smiled.

During his travels many times he had heard saying "bear of a man." In his opinion there was no person in the world it was more fitting for than TOB - aka The Old Bear.

The man was - by any standard - gigantic. Well over 2 meters tall, with shoulders almost as broad. His massive arms were almost as thick as Jaune's torso. A mantle of shoulder-length hair - once black, now mostly grey, was gathered in a ponytail. His massive beard however, was left untamed. Both his face (what little was visible over all the hair) and bare arms were covered in scars. He would probably be scary - if not for his mouth being stretched in friendly smile, and his gentle, brown eyes. The pair of bear ears poking out of his hair helped too. Overall, he looked like someone wanted to design the most stereotypical bandit leader ever, but then at last second, went for good-natured grandpa.

"Still serving this Ursa piss and calling it whisky Tob? Shame on you." Jaune called.

Far faster than someone that big should be able to, Tob whipped around. His smile grew even wider when he saw young Huntsman.

"Jaune! My boy!" he called, rushing towards new guest. "Mei! Come here - see who come with visit!"

And as female figure walked out of kitchen, her face brightening in a motherly smile, Jaune had only one thought in his head

" _Yeh, coming here was definitely a good idea."_

* * *

" _Maybe.. it… was.. not...the...best..idea."_ He thought a few seconds later, legs and arms flailing uselessly, Aura desperately trying to prevent his ribs from shattering under the pressure of the older man's hug.

"Dear, let him go. He needs to breath," Mei called. Jaune stumbled, and coughed few times as he was released from this loving deathgrip - only to be immediately pulled into another, much gentler hug.

"It's good to see you again, sweetie". Said Mei, squeezing him lightly. "We missed you."

Jaune smiled and squeezed back.

"Yeah, I missed you too."

As they pulled apart, Jaune took in the woman before him.

Mei was not someone who you would call beautiful woman - not in traditional sense. Not in her younger days (if many photographs of her and her husband littering walls were anything to go by), nor now, when she was nearing the seventh decade of her life. What always surprised Jaune was how little she actually changed over the years - sure, she had more wrinkles, and her hair had more gray in it now, rather than the platinum-blond of her youth, but she could easily be mistaken for several years younger.

She wasn't short - tough she looked it when she was standing near her husband (but then, everyone looked small when standing near Tob) - the top of her head was about eye level with Jaune. Her dark green eyes, always shining with mirth, her almost perfectly round face, with a gentle smile almost always present, her round frame, covered in a simple green dress, and pink apron with image of teddy bear and reading "Free Hugs" (and Jaune knew she was perfectly happy to give hug to anyone who wanted) - all of which made her look like living definition of grandmother. And she was - for just about anyone who visited Hunter's Rest. It wasn't uncommon for regulars (especially younger ones) to call her such too.

"Come to the kitchen, I just finished preparing rabbit stew, and the first batch of meat dumplings should be about ready. I also have some fresh bread. Oh, and there should be a few bottles of that blackberry juice you like so much. Would you like some soup first? I have beef and vegetable, and chicken too. What would you like for dessert? I have..."

Jaune smiled at the tyrade - it was almost the same every time he came to visit, whether a week or a month has passed. He knew Mei loved to cook, and loved seeing people enjoy her cooking even more. Doubly so if said people were family - which was the same as his mother, and one of reasons two women became such good friends.

He also knew that if he didn't do something she WILL make him as much food as she thinks he needs (so enough to last him for about a week) - and she WILL make him eat all of it. He really didn't want to impose - especially now, that he knew the rush hour was approaching.

" _Ok, I will politely refuse the meal, at least most of it. No way in hell I'm passing on her dumplings. I know she just likes doing it, but I can't have her overwork herself on my behalf. Plus I don't want to die from overeating - that would be embarrassing."_

So he took a few deep breaths, shot Tob an annoyed glare (bastard was just standing there, smiling) and, when Mei was considering whether to serve baked salmon before or after dumplings, he made to speak.

"Hey Me.." stone-cold, green eyes zeroed on him instantly "...mom…" the green orbs softened again.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I don't wa.." Dual green daggers stabbed through his eyes straight into his soul, promising unimaginable suffering if he dared to continue, "..haven't washed myself yet"

What? One doesn't simply say "I'm not that hungry" to grandmother.

Two green pools, gentle like spring grass, widened a little.

"Oh, right! What was I thinking? You must be really tired after traveling all the way here. Go to your room, wash yourself and get changed. I'll make you something to eat. Did you fly in on a bullhead?" Jaune nodded. "Oh you poor thing! Then your stomach must be killing you!"

Jaunes eyes widened. Could it be? Would he be saved from this unwinnable battle? And by his bitter enemy, no less?

"I will make you some barley soup - it's good for upset stomach."

"How about dumplings?" Jaune interjected

"No, I made them spicy this time, they will just upset your stomach. I'll give you some of this stew too - it shouldn't be too heavy. What else? Maybe I'll.."

As Mei continued her musings, Jaune sighed and walked towards his room.

" _I guess no victory comes without cost. But just you wait, Mei's special meat dumplings - I'll get you one day!"_

* * *

His room - and it still felt awkward to call it that, even after all this years - wasn't big. A single-person bed and nightstand, a simple desk under the only window in the room, a wardrobe, and a few wall-mounted shelves with books and various souvenirs from his many travels. A single door on right side leading to the bathroom, which itself was small - toilet, single closet with towels and basic cosmetics, sink and shower cabin - something Jaune was all too eager to use.

" _Living in the wilds is nice and all, but civilization have its perks."_ He mused, as hot water washed over him, taking dirt and fatigue with it.

He washed himself quickly, but spent a few more minutes just relaxing.

" _Well, enough is enough. I really need to talk to Tob, and would prefer to catch him before the place fills up."_ He thought, as he left the shower and started drying himself.

He made his way to the wardrobe, and as he was pulling on a pair of jeans and hoodie, he noticed another familiar piece of clothing.

" _Or I could just help them out, and we can talk later."_ He mused pulling out his old waiter uniform.

Jaune smiled. He remembered fondly his time working as both busboy and bartender over the past winter. It had turned out he was rather skilled at the latter.

" _Hmm, cooking, herbalism, making drinks…. Looks like I'm have a talent for mixing things"_

A few moments later, fully suited, he made his way towards main hall.

Tob broke out in a grin when he spotted him.

"What's this, Jaune? Did you got bored of this Hunter stuff and decided to finally embrace your true calling?"

"Nah, just got sick of seeing you fumble around with those glasses. Thought this place could use another professional. Mei can't do everything by herself."

"Ha! You better go to kitchen first - unless you want her to drag you there and spoon-feed you."

Jaune laughed, but it was a bit forced. He full well knew that Mei both could, and would, do so.

* * *

Jaune rushed over to help Mei clear another table before seeing her start to wave him off.

"We need you behind the bar! It's a madhouse!" She warned.

He nodded and quickly took his tray of dishes and weaved around the patrons to get behind the bar. He set the items down in the sink and began washing his hands.

 _It doesn't look that busy back here._

"Strawberry Sunrise please." He heard a voice call from behind him.

"Coming right up!" He called as he turned. When he wheeled around, he was confronted with one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. She had long, flowing blond hair, glittering lilac eyes, a cocky smile, and generous...assets.

He was immediately suspicious, and a glance over the girl's shoulder confirmed his suspicions. Mei stood across the bar floor, almost directly behind the girl, and was giving him a double thumbs up and an excited smile.

 _Dammit Mei._

"Uh, hello?" The girl asked, waiving a hand in front of his face.

He snapped back to reality. "Sorry about that! Got distracted for a second."

She smirked. "I have that effect on guys."

"I'll bet." He answered reflexively.

 _Shit! What did I just say?_

Her smile widened. "Bold, Ladykiller."

He flashed her a smile as he began mixing her drink.

 _What do I say!?_

"Aren't you a little young to be bartending?" She asked.

"I'm an...old soul." He managed to force out, as he placed the drink in front her.

"So does the old soul have a name?" She asked, leaning in.

Mei was frantically pointing at the girl , ignoring all the patrons around her.

 _What the hell is she saying?_

"Ladies first." He guessed.

"Ooohh. A gentleman huh? That's rare. And charming. Name's Yang, Ladykiller."

Mei was mouthing 'she's thirsty' behind her.

 _I just gave her a drink!_

He held out a hand. "Jaune. What brings you to the Rest?"

"I'm looking for someone."

Mei started pointing at Jaune.

 _Me?_

"Is it me?"

She whistled. "You come on strong. Tall, blond, and lean...I like it."

 _What is happening right now?!_

She continued. "But no, I'm looking for a Huntress." She held up a photo of a woman with long black hair, and cold, hard eyes. "Raven Branwen. Heard of her?"

He took a moment to scan over the photo, then shook his head.

"Sorry, can't say I have. I haven't been around here for very long, been out in the boonies."

Yang studied his face for a moment, looking for some indication of deceit.

Mei was frantically waving her hand in a circle, urging him to continue.

 _What do I say?_

"Uhhh...I could ask Tob though. He's the owner, knows just about everyone."

Her smile returned. "Awww, thanks Ladykiller, I appreciate it. Guess you'll just have to keep me company till then."

 _Fuck._

Mei was doing a jig in the background.

 _I've got nothing, what would dad say?_

"Well, dad always told me never to disappoint a pretty lady." He tried hesitantly.

She giggled. "Smart man. You a family type of guy?"

He rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. I have seven sisters."

"SEVEN?!" She exclaimed.

He chuckled. "Yeah, how I feel about it varies from day to day. How about you? Any siblings?"

"Just the one sister thankfully. Ruby's enough work on her own, I don't know how you handle seven." She shook her head.

"Very, very carefully. And with generous application of sweets." He replied with a grin. He spied her gauntlets. "You a Huntress?"

"In training." Yang replied proudly, holding up Ember Cecila. "You're pretty perseptive, you sure you're just a barkeep?"

 _How do I explain…_

"Just helping out around the bar for Tob, I'm actually here to meet a client."

 _That seems safe enough._

Yang leaned in with interest. "Oh? What do you do?"

Mei was making flexing motions in the background.

 _She wants me to brag._ He thought annoyedly.

He decided to ignore her unsolicited advice.

"Just odd jobs, varies from client to client." He tried.

Yang's eyes lit up. "Man of mystery huh? That just makes it more fun, I'll find out eventually."

 _How?! Why?!_

She pulled herself across the bar, giving him a rather generous view. "What are you hiding Ladykiller?" She teased.

He felt heat rising in his cheeks.

 _Someone save me!_

"What are you up to over here Jaune?" A familiar voice boomed. "Oh, sweet talking the ladies again?"

 _Thank God for Tob!_

"Tob! Glad you're here! Yang was looking for someone, and was hoping that you could help." He spat out quickly.

Yang's attention immediately shifted as she pulled up the photo again. "Have you seen this Huntress? Her name is…"

"Raven." Tob interjected, then shook his head slowly. "Not for a long time now, no. Hell, I think she was still on team STRQ when I saw her last. Not sure what she's been up to since."

Yang's shoulders fell.

 _I should say something._

"We'll keep an ear to the ground though, let you know if we hear anything." Jaune heard himself saying.

 _Why mouth!?_

Yang brightened again. "Thanks Ladykiller!" She shot him a wink. "Got to meet you, so I guess it wasn't a total waste."

Her grin only widened when she saw him blush.

She grabbed a pen from behind the bar and scribbled a number on a napkin.

"Here's my number in case you hear anything. Or..." She drawled. "If you just want to show a lady a good time."

He was having an internal meltdown.

"Will do." Someone who sounded like him said.

"Just don't keep me waiting." She said as her stood up. "See you around Ladykiller." She winked at him as she walked away, a little extra sway in her hips.

Mei was soundlessly screaming 'GGGOOOOAAAALLLL' in the background.

Jaune numbly stared at the number on the napkin, trying to process what just happened. He felt a giant arm wrap around him from the side.

"You had no idea what you were doing, did you 'Ladykiller'?"

Jaune just shook his head slowly.

The older man laughed. "It's ok son, no one ever does."

* * *

Jaune loosened his tie, and let out a tired, but satisfied sigh. Hunter's Rest was packed tonight - as expected on a Friday night. Jaune had spent nearly 6 hours behind bar, serving drinks, and entertaining guests with tall tales of his travels. It was exhausting - but as he sat with Tob in his office, with cup of herbal tea (a regular one - they didn't dare open the special when Mei was around), he couldn't help but smile. It was nice to see people having a good time, simply enjoying each others' company.

Not throwing a celebration because some eldritch abomination that terrorized their village was finally dealt with. Those cheers were tainted with sadness - since there was always less voices cheering than there should be.

"So, you wanted to talk about something?"

Jaune shook off this morbid thoughts and turned to the older man.

"Yeah, it's about job I got recently."

"The one your pathetic excuse of a teacher was supposed to do, but was too busy chasing skirts in Atlas?"

"You know about it?"

"Yeah, he actually called a few days ago…"

Jaune waited for a moment for Tob to continue, but the older man looked lost in thought.

"Sooo… Can you tell me anything about client? Or the job itself?"

"Not really. All I know is that he's someone well-known and respected in Vale." Was the older man quick response.

Too quick.

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

" _Old Bastard knows something, and doesn't want to tell."_

"Well, I guess I will meet him tomorrow. Do you at least know what he looks like?"

"Only that he's a middle-aged man. Guy's really mysterious. But I can assure you that the job is legit - it went through the Company."

The Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company was an institution founded just a few years ago. In the beginning, they were just a small group of people looking for qualified low level personnel for larger companies - miners, truck drivers, construction workers, that sort of thing. Then they grew, branched out, and before anyone knew it, they were a worldwide company hiring hundreds of people, with an office in every big city, and strong connections within every government.

Nowadays, it was common knowledge that if you were a freelancer of any kind, and you weren't registered with the Company - you were doing it wrong.

Part of the reason they were so popular, was because they always made sure that the offered contracts were legit, and people taking them suitably qualified. After all, there is nothing worse than paying hundreds of lien for a Hunter - only to get kid who barely knew how to use a weapon, or sign up for extermination mission - only to find out that client forgot a few zeros in "Estimated Grimm number" column.

Jaune paused to think about it. If the job was approved by the Company, it meant it was safe and the client could be trusted. It wasn't that uncommon for influential people looking to hire independent Hunters to want to remain incognito. Usually, they were either presidents of large companies wanting to clear some Grimm discreetly (because their security wasn't enough, they fucked something up, or they didn't want the competition to know what they are doing), or politicians - wanting pretty much the same, for pretty much the same reasons.

" _So I don't have to worry about being scammed. It also means I might not be meeting with guy himself, but a representative from the Company. Hmm…that might be even better. Those folks aren't very talkative, but will give me all the info I need without any useless bulshit. I don't really need to know who client is anyway, as long as I'm getting paid."_

Yeah, the job being approved by the Company solved a lot of problems. But also raised some questions.

For instance - how did Tob know about it? Yes, he was a registered Company member, and a quite a well-known one at that - in fact, it wasn't uncommon for him to organize meetings.

But at the same time, the Company made it a point to involve as few people in its dealings as possible. After all, most of their clients valued discretion and Tob didn't need to know who would be meeting who, to keep a free table open in one of his quieter corners. Hell, he even had a few soundproofed rooms just for meetings like this.

Yes, Tob had said it was his teacher who called him and told him about the deal, but Jaune knew it was uncommon for Leon to involve more people than necessary in business dealings. Especially for transferring jobs.

And then there was the biggest question.

" _Why me? Sure, he said he couldn't make it, but since it was clearly a Named request, company wouldn't simply agree to hand the job to someone else - even if Leon recommended me."_

Named request referred to fairly new service the Company offered. Normally, a client would submit a request, with a detailed explanation of what he wanted done. Then the Company would look for a suitable candidate among registered members - or looked for them outside, if no one suitable could be found within their ranks. If there were multiple candidates, they would select the most promising ones - and if there still were more than they needed, they would allow the client to pick who they wanted.

Named request meant a client requested person by name. The Company would still run their own check to see if person was suited for task - and would inform both parties if they decided they were not. However, if both of them agreed to it - the contract would still be formed.

Only the most trusted clients were allowed to make named requests.

Also, it was very rare to transfer such a job. Especially considering how much more experienced his teacher was. There were many Hunters far better than Jaune that could take this job - and Leon could refer any of his long-time friends.

" _Plus this 'special bonus' business. This doesn't make sense. There are so many better Hunters in Vale, and I don't have some crazy powerful or unique semblance, so…"_

Then an idea struck him

" _Or… they might not be looking for regular Huntsman. This might be … the other kind of job."_

Yeah, that made much more sense. Jaune's teacher had some very… unusual skill sets, very suitable for less… official kinds of jobs. And, on Jaune's request, had taught him much of his craft. Sure, normal Hunters could probably do what Jaune could, but he would do it with more… efficiency. Faster, cleaner… more professional.

" _Oh well, no need to overthink things. I'll find out everything at the meeting anyway."_

He turned back to Tob.

"Well, I guess I'll learn everything soon enough."

"Yeah. Anyway, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Call my family, back in Silver Lake. Maybe do some shopping, buy some souvenirs. Was thinking about visiting them after this job, haven't been home in a while."

"Heh, good idea. They actually stayed here for a few days. Had you come week earlier, you would have caught them. Oh, that reminds me! Cere called two days ago, said one of her friends broke it off with her asshole-of-a-boyfrend, and…"

"And I'm going to stop you right there. I can imagine what the rest of the message is."

Cere - a year younger than him, made it her personal mission to find a suitable girlfriend for her beloved older brother. So far he managed to stay single, but his sister was relentless.

Now, don't get him wrong - he wanted a girlfriend, he was healthy 17-year old boy after all. But he still had so much to learn, and really liked his life of freelancer hunter. Traveling for weeks, camping in forests, visiting new places. Meeting new people.

Tasting new foods.

Slaying many different kinds of Grimm.

Those were some of the greatest pleasures in his life.

Jaune smiled at the thought. He could almost feel the cold morning fog, smell the forest after a hard rain, hear the sound of wood crackling in the campfire. Yeah, he caught a case of wanderlust not long after he started traveling with Leon - and probably wouldn't be getting better anytime soon.

Unfortunately, this didn't leave much time for romance. While being a Hunter was worth a few cool points - he never stayed in one place for long enough to form a relationship. Plus, there really wasn't much for him to talk about with civilian girls his age. He somehow doubted they would be interested in subjects such as how to best deal with a Beowolf pack led by an Alpha, or the weak points of a Boaratusk.

It was the strange tone in Tob's voice that caught his attention.

"This time it's a bit different."

"Oh?"

"They broke up because she and Cere saw him getting… friendly… with Rubin."

Rubin, 14-years old, was third oldest of Jaune sisters.

A few seconds passed in silence. When Jaune spoke again, his voice was perfectly calm, a small smile plastered on his lips.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

A few more moments passed with only the sound of the crackling fireplace.

Jaune finished his drink, carefully placing the cup on the table and reached towards older man.

Tob took out a grey envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and placed it in Jaune's hand.

Jaune slowly opened it and took out its contents.

There were 10 photographs inside.

One of them featured a middle-aged couple. Judging by clothing and jewelry, they had to be someone wealthy.

The rest of them featured the same young man. Or rather a boy - he couldn't be more than 17 or 18. Black, slicked back hair, expensive looking suit - a different one in every photo - what looked like a gold wristwatch. A golden necklace. In one of the photos he was getting in a very expensive car. Judging by his appearance, he was the son of older couple - and an annotation on the back confirmed this.

On every photo he was accompanied by a cleary younger girl.

On 3 of them it was Cere's friend.

On 5 others - some brunette he didn't recognize.

The last one was Rubin - and he was touching her in very… well, he was touching her.

If the dates on every photo were to be believed, all of them were taken in a single week.

"I… see."

"Old friend of mine works as long-range air transport pilot. Has a flight tomorrow, around 8 p.m. He is delivering some food supplies to a mining colony near Mt. Red. Says the weather's bad and he might have to make detour to the east."

"Big?"

"Big."

.

.

.

"Enough to fly close to Silver Lake?"

"Yeah…"

No more words were exchanged between two men that night. There was no need.

* * *

 **Cr00cy: Well here it is. Official launch of TPA. Introducing first AU element- The Company. How big an impact it will it have on the story? Well, only one way to find out. Also, I think I should mention that first three chapters could be considered the intro - most, if not all Au elements would be at least mentioned in this chapters.**

 **Tob and Mei would be most active OCs in this story - Leon probably never appears "on screen", but will be mentioned a lot. Samantha... Well Samantha has special role in this story - she had very big impact on Jaune. So here is a bit of omake/character short for her.**

 **Speaking of omakes - unless said otherwise, you can assume that they are cannon to the story.**

 **JJD: Cr00cy: Hey JJD, do you want to write some Yang?**

 **JJD: You mean my female doppelganger? Do I!?**

* * *

 **Samantha pt1 - first meeting.**

"Jaune this is Samantha Birger." Said Victoria Arc pointing at little girl next to her. "I hope you will take good care of her, while we're gone?"

"Of course mom" Answered the eleven years old boy.

"Vi, do you really think this is good idea? Leaving so many small kids alone? I know your Jaune is responsible, but he's just a kid too…" Said the red-haired woman standing in the door of the house.

Jaune did his best to not glare at her.

 _Oh, I'm sorry miss what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the SIX GIRLS I HELPED RAISE._

He kept smiling, but scoffed internally. There were few thing he could be really proud of - the fact he was basically the man of the house, helping his mother with her business, AND raising six younger sisters, was one of them. That's why people questioning his ability to take care of young children - especially girls - were one of very few things that could make him angry.

 _I mean, it's not like I spent over half of my life taking care of children…_

"Don't worry Astrid. He has a lot of experience."

 _Yeah, you tell her mom…_

"He's better at it than Arthur!"

 _That's… not really saying much, you know?_

"If you say so... " Astrid still didn't looked convinced, but nodded and left

Astrid Birger and her husband Asger, were old friends of his parents. Both were Hunters, and traveled often. Whenever they could, they took their only daughter with them. They had called a few days prior, informing them that they would be in Silver Lake - and decided to meet up. After some negotiations, Jaune agreed to take care of Samantha while adults went to… do whatever they were going to do. He didn't asked for details.

After they left, he took Samantha to the living room, and introduced her to his sisters. After making sure all the females were getting along just fine (well, they didn't looked like they wanted to start kill each other) Jaune excused himself, and went to the kitchen. He would peek out from time to time, just to make sure nothing happened. Around half a hour later, his preparations were complete.

"Girls, mind if I borrow Samantha for a bit?" He said, walking into living room. His sisters and his newest charge, looked to actually be getting along well.

After getting their permission, he led the young girl to the kitchen.

 _All right, let's get this show started._

"Ok Samantha," he said after she sat down in the chair he pointed at. "There are a few things we need to discus, and a few rules to set." He sat in the chair on the opposite side of dining table.

She glared at him. Well tried at least. It wasn't very effective.

"I can take care of myself."

 _Of course she can…_

"I'm sure you can. But I promised both of our parents that I would look out for you - so that is what I'm gonna do. We can do it hard way, or easy way, and I will come out on top either way. Trust me on that - I have a lot of experience." He said, pointing towards the living room.

She nodded.

"So here are rules: You will remain in the house. If you want to go out - it's only with me accompanying you. You do what I say, when I say. If a problem arises with one of my sisters - you come to me with it, and I'll solve it. If you follow these rules, and won't try do do something stupid I can promise I won't interfere with whatever you're doing, so long as it's nothing dangerous."

He got up and went towards one of cabinets.

"If you cooperate." He said, pulling something out of it, and turning towards Samantha.

She gasped.

 _Bingo. Knew it would work._

"There will be some benefits for you too."

His father was always saying that 'all one needs to deal with women is confidence'. While it wasn't bad advice, Jaune had found a much better way.

"So, what do you say Samantha, you think you can follow the rules?"

She nodded energetically.

Jaune smiled, and pushed the plate of freshly baked muffins towards her.

 _Sweets. What would I have done without you?_


	3. The Profession

**AN: Welcome to second chapter of TPA! JJD ensured its readable.**

' _Well, a warm bed is a warm bed,'_ thought Jaune, stretching out.

He liked sleeping under the blue sky - he really did, but a little change was nice from time to time. He opened the window, and took a deep breath of cold, morning air. It was still gray-ish outside - sun only beginning to rise. The whole town seemed to be asleep.

 _Now, what to do? Go back to bed? Nah, won't be able to sleep anyway. Mei and Tob are probably still asleep, no need to wake them up. Guess I'll just work out for a bit._

He quickly put his clothing and armor on, then strapped on Crocea Mors. Picked up his other sword, hesitated for a moment, then strapped it on too.

Then he jumped out of the window. The second floor wasn't that high for Hunter - he was used to jumping, and falling, from much higher.

He landed with a roll, and used the momentum from the fall to push himself up and sprint ahead.

He briefly considered going through the gate, but discarded the idea. It would be closed, and he didn't want to scare the guards - an armed hunter running somewhere at full speed usually meant bad news.

Instead, he ran to the opposite side, towards a big chestnut tree. He jumped, landed feet-first at the massive trunk, and pushed out towards palisade, grabbed the lip, and pulled himself over the top. There he paused for a moment, to check if there were any surprises on the other side.

If he could help it, Jaune always checked what was on the other side of a wall he was jumping over. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.

Judging the area to be sufficiently secure, he jumped off, repeating his roll landing-into-sprint motion. He settled into a comfortable peace - one he could keep up for hours if need be.

His mind wandered as he ran.

Overall, Jaune Arc was satisfied with his current life. He liked to travel - and he traveled a lot. He got a chance to practice both his parents' crafts - and turned out to be rather good at both of them. He helped his fair share of people too.

He slowed down to jog as he entered a small clearing, and took in his surroundings. It was a nice place - around twenty meters of space, mostly free of trees, with relatively even ground, covered in a batch of short grass. Jaune closed his eyes, focusing on the sensations. The sound of wind whistling through leaves, singing of birds, the first rays of sun coming through the branches, the ever-present smell of forest.

Jaune smiled.

 _Only thing that could make this better..._

He spun to the right, drawing his family blade. With the same motion, he brought it down on the neck of Beowolf who lunged at him from behind.

 _...would be some Grimm to kill._

He thought, finishing his spin and standing face-to-face with five more beasts. Judging by the small amount of bone-white plating, they were young ones. The way they all charged without even trying to surround him, only proved their stupidity.

Jaune stepped out of the way of the first one's lunge, blocked second's strike with his shield, and ducked under the third's swipe while countering with a stab in the gut.

Then he jumped to the left and rolled, avoiding the forth one's charge.

He ducked, avoiding a second lunge from first beast, but this time lashed out with his sword,

cutting off its arm. The fifth one jumped at him, but was stopped by a shield to the face. It fell, and struggled to rise.

It didn't help that it was now missing a leg.

Jaune jumped back as he took next blow square on his shield, using the added momentum to put some distance between him and the Grimm.

 _Two down, four to go. Two healthy, one-leg still learning how to stand. One-hand…_ was currently jumping at him, wanting to get a taste of the blond human. It received cold steel instead, when Crocea Mors' blade stabbed through the roof of its mouth.

 _Three to go…_

The remaining beasts hesitated, slowly realizing that the lone human might not be such an easy target after all. One-leg settled for dropping on all three remaining limbs, and growling at him menacingly, while the second, still healthy, beast stood on its hind legs, trying to look as imposing as possible.

 _How predictable…_

Jaune charged at full speed, both beast in front of him doing the same. He sidestepped the healthy one, cutting at its leg. Crippled, yet still carried by momentum, the Grimm sailed past him - and collided with the one who circled behind him earlier. Jaune continued his charge, caught One-Leg's swipe on his his shield, and buried his blade into its gut.

He spun, his sword easily tearing through the Grimm's body. His shield catching, and knocking the last healthy Grimm paw away. Cold steel bit into beast's left hip, cutting through its stomach, chest and finally exiting from the right shoulder.

The Grimm stayed still for a moment, looking surprised of all things. Then uneven parts fell apart, revealing the last beast already mid-attack. It had come low, aiming to bite off the teen's leg. Jaune's boot met Beowolf face, breaking its jaw, and driving the beast's head into the dirt. It tried to get up, to maybe get one last attack in, at the very least draw blood from the human that killed its whole pack. Cold steel pierced through its skull, ending its struggles.

Sheathing his sword, Jaune analized the fight.

 _Well, I picked as good terrain as I could._

He rolled his shoulders, trying to relax his muscles.

 _As for the fight itself… Probably could ease up on the baiting - that could easily go south if my timing was off. But then I managed to spread them out a bit, so they couldn't swarm me. A bit too much spinning…_

He massaged his sore left arm.

 _And have to work on my shield play. A few of those bashes didn't connected as well as they should… and that last block was rather sloppy._

He paused and looked over the now decaying corpses.

 _Could probably have taken out One-hand on his first charge… or second if I aimed better. Maybe it would have been better to try and intercept that one who circled behind me? It was rather slow for a Beowolf…_

He thought about it for a seconds, then shook his head.

 _Nah, I'm not that fast, the other two would have caught up to me, and it's better to have one Grimm behind you than two._

Jaune nodded to himself. Overall the fight went well. He'd noticed the pack following him around twenty minutes after leaving Little Frontier, and led them to wide open area (well, as wide and open as one could find in the middle of the forest), with a clear and relatively even ground to minimize his chances of slipping on something. The fight itself was rather quick, he didn't made too many mistakes, and the ones he had were minor, and more of not being as efficient as possible than anything else.

 _I'm can do this. I AM doing this. I'm getting stronger._

Jaune Arc liked fighting. Maybe even loved it. The rush of adrenaline, the danger, the elation of victory - it all was intoxicating. But there were one more thing Jane was getting out of every fight - something much more valuable.

A sense of progress.

Every fight made him faster, stronger, more perceptive. Every Grimm slain made killing the next one easier, every won battle made next one go smoother and faster.

And ever since Leon organized that meeting one year ago, even losses in occasional spars made him happy - because they were proof that there was still room for improvement. That he could still get better - and thus help more people.

 _Well, I better start heading back. Mei and Tob should be up soon, and I still have to call my family._

He started running back at a much faster pace than before. Normally, he wouldn't have done so, as it meant making more noise, a potential ambush would be harder to react to in time, and he would be more tired than necessary. But the area was relatively safe, and he was sure he could deal with anything that came his way.

* * *

Jaune was in distress.

 _This is… bad._

He'd made a mistake and found himself in this situation. Only two choices left, and both of them would leave him with regrets, and no one to blame but himself.

 _I could just pull back… but I know I would regret this now. If I carry on - I'll sure as hell regret this later._

In the end it was his teacher's words that helped him make his decision.

" _Listen, Jaune. Sometime a man has do do something, even if he knows full well it won't end well for him."_

Jaune actually smiled at the memory - and how similar his current situation was to the one when he heard those words.

So he took deep breath, steeled his resolve and spoke the words that sealed his fate.

"Yes, please."

Mei smiled and placed another serving of dumplings on his plate.

"So, you are going to Vale now?" She asked.

Jaune noded.

"Yeah, need to buy a few more things, and visit the Company office - see if there are any messages for me. Probably call my family - haven't heard from them in a while."

"You should visit them soon." She suggested.

"I know. That's the plan - after the next job I'll go to Silver Lake for few days."

Mei noded, and Jaune finished his breakfast. He checked his scroll - it was 8:12.

 _Well, I guess it's time to go to Vale._

He quickly washed the plate and fork he was using and headed to the exit. On his way out, he shook hands with Tob, and gave Mei a goodbye kiss on the cheek. When he reached the door she called to him.

"Will you be back in time for dinner?"

"Probably not. I want to wander around Vale for a bit, maybe visit some clubs. Haven't been in a proper city in ages"

Mei looked worried.

"You sure? There are a lot of robberies going in the city as of late. What if you run in some riff-raff?"

Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Then I'll beat them up. I've been fighting Grimm and bandits for a while now - I can deal with thief or two. Or at very last - outrun them."

Mei still looked worried. Jaune sighed.

"Or I could just tell them they would have to deal with you if they don't leave me alone."

Mei smiled at that and nodded. Jaune smiled too. He didn't know why this particular promise always put the older woman at ease - but it worked.

 _Probably,_ he mused, _because dealing with Mei would mean dealing with Tob._

She walked up to him, and handed him a small wrapped bundle.

"Hand this over to Jaff for me, ok?"

"Sure."

Finally leaving Hunter's Rest, Jaune made his way towards the main gate. He briefly considered catching a bullhead - but discarded the idea. It was a nice day, and he didn't have to hurry anywhere.

Only after passing through the gate did he realize he missed something important. He had no idea where to find this Jaff guy. Or even who he was. Sure, he knew a few regulars by this name, but which one had Mei ment?

Just when he was about to turn back, he got an idea. He reached to his pocket, pulling small piece of paper Tob handed him when they shook hands. There was address on it - no doubt where the plane he mentioned last night would take off. There was also the name of the pilot.

' _Jaff Tagar'. Heh, should have known B wouldn't be able to keep it secret._

* * *

 _Three days earlier_

Tob was inspecting the man in sitting in chair in front of him. He was a Hunter, quite good one, if memory served right. With a massive sword strapped to his back, a vast collection of scars and eyepatch he probably would looked intimidating to most people. Now though? There were three reason he didn't.

One - he was sitting near Tob - this made him about as intimidating as puppy.

Two - he was holding cup of hot chocolate with a drawing of cute little teddy-bear and reading "hug me."

Three - he was pale like death itself, and was shaking violently.

Tob's brow furrowed at that. From what he knew, the man hadn't done anything wrong. He came in a bit late, said he had some important info, and now here they were.

He shot quick glance to his wife. She was sitting in her favorite rocking chair, looking over the contents of the grey envelope the man had brought with him. Judging from her reaction - or rather lack of any - it wasn't anything too shocking.

 _Are those.. Photos?_

He could barely see some faces… but no one important from what he could tell.

He looked at the man again. With each photo Mei put away, he looked like year of his life was shaved away.

 _Maybe he realised what he has is not THAT important? But he wouldn't be that nervous if that was it._

He looked back to Mei just as she looked at the last photo.

Her free hand met her cheek, and a smile appeared on her lips. One that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Oh my, oh my." She said with sweet voice. The man in front of Tob looked like he seriously considered committing suicide with the cup he was holding.

"Dear come here, take look at this."

He took a closer look at photo she was holding. There were two people in it.

The girl he recognized instantly - Rubin looked as cheerful as ever, no doubt talking with some f…

Corpse. Yes, other person was walking corpse. Or maybe not? He would decide whether or not he let him die at later date. Now there were some... arrangements to be made. The photo was taken at Silver Lake - he recognized the buildings in the background. It was three days old, but that shouldn't be too much of problem.

"You did well, bringing this to my attention young man," said Mei.

The man in the chair visibly relaxed. He even took one bear-shaped cookie from a nearby plate.

Tob took the envelope, packed all the photos back inside, and made towards the door.

"There is just one more thing I would like to know sweety…"

Tob left the room. Last thing he heard before he closed the doors was Mei's words.

"Why am I learning about this only now?"

* * *

Jaune checked time again - 10 a.m.

 _Well I guess they should be up by now._

He activated the terminal, and waited. Soon enough the call connected, and the face of a middle-aged woman appeared on screen, any trace of drowsiness disappearing when she saw him.

"Jaune! My baby boy, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine mom, thanks."

Victoria Arc was over forty years old - but looked twenty-something. None of the stress of bearing, and rising eight children showed on her. Long, brown hair framed her round face, with pair of the most intense green eyes Jaune had ever seen.

"How are you and the girls? I hope they aren't too much trouble. Are they home? What about Dad? I actually talked with him briefly few months back. We - me and my teacher that is - were in this small village in..." words flew out of him without much thought. He was just talking about anything. It wasn't very coherent - there was a lot of backtracking, and jumping from subject to subject. Victoria didn't interrupt him once, for whole hour and half he rambled on. She just sat there, nodding, small smile on her lips.

When Jaune was done, it was her turn to talk - in much the same manner. He learned that most of the girls were currently away from home. Crystal went with her team from Beacon to Vacuo on vacation. Violet and Lavender - twelve years old twins - went on a trip with their friend. Saphire - ten years old source of endless headaches for all the Arc adults, was sleeping over at her friend's house.

Neither Jaune's smile, nor voice wavered when he learned this friend was a boy.

What? He wasn't one of those crazy overprotective older siblings that chased any boy who even got close to their beloved sisters with sword drawn. He was all for letting his siblings experience as much life as possible. Keeping them too sheltered now would just hurt them in the future.

Yes, Jaune Arc was reasonable man. If one of his sisters brought a male friend home - Jaune wouldn't try to scare young man off. Quite the opposite - he would try to befriend them. If he had any concerns - he would take them for nice walk around lake, and they'd...talk things out.

And if after that they never came close to his sisters ever again, and got panic attacks at mere sound of the word "Arc" - well that wasn't his fault.

Eventually Victoria Arc finished her tale of the misadventures of Arc family, and let her daughters take her place.

The first new face to appear was that of Cere Arc. She was lithe, with blond, almost white, hair.

She nodded to him in greeting and spoke.

"Did you perhaps visit Hunter's Rest?"

"Yes."

"Did Tob pass on my message?"

"Yes."

She nodded once and walked away. This was Cere in nutshell - straight to business. At least through the phone. In reality, she might be the most emotional of all the Arc children, but she could never make it translate to phone calls. "Feelings should be discussed directly with other person. Failing that - letters," is what she said when he asked her about it one time.

Next up was Vivi. Youngest of the Arc siblings, she had her seventh birthday only a month ago. To his disappointment, he'd only been able to take part through scroll - a sudden worsening of weather had prevented him for coming home in time.

"I want a dress," were her first words. She tried to glare at him. Key word - tried. She was too young, and too cute, so she looked adorable instead. Her hardly concealed smile when she saw him didn't helped.

"What?"

"You said that I could ask whatever I want if you didn't make it to my birthday. You didn't, so I'm asking. I want a dress."

Jaune smiled. Yeah, little, pragmatic Vivi. She never let anyone forgot a promise made to her - nor did she forget the ones she made. She had no problem with using her cuteness to extract favors and sweets from people - family, friends and strangers alike. But she also never did anything to hurt another person - at least not on purpose.

"Sure. Any preferences?" Of course there were. She gave him a description so detailed, he doubted he would find exact match in any shop - it would have to be custom made.

And it would be. It was a little secret of Arc family - every female member had a dress hand-made by Jaune.

The last one to come to the phone was Rubin. She looked a lot like her mother - chestnut-brown hair that looked almost red if you looked from the right angle, green, focused eyes, oval face. There was small mole under her left eye, that she didn't like, but everyone else thought it made her look more adorable.

The moment he saw her, he knew something was wrong. The normally wide smile was just a little bit strained, the cheerful greeting a little bit less excited than normal, and her tale of how school was going lacked its usual energy.

 _They told her. Or she found out herself, she is smart girl afterall._

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think its ok to not talk with a person who you thought was your friend, but wasn't, and he did something wrong to someone else you know, and he was really mean, and…"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Yes. It's totally fine to not talk to someone like that. They were probably going to hurt you too at some point. They're not worth your time. So it's totally ok to not talk to them."

She nodded, looking a bit more cheerful.

"What you should do, is forget all about them. And let your brother…"

"No."

Jaune blinked a few times.

"Pardon me?"

"No. You can't take away his ring."

"Why would I want to take his ring?"

"Dad said the same thing when I was talking with him. He said I should forget about him, and that he will take care of it, and then, when he thought I wouldn't hear, he said he would take away his family heirloom, but I heard him and made him stop. So you can't do that either. He was mean, but it's not a good enough reason to take away something important to him."

It took Jaune a few moments to process this.

"Heirlooms?"

She nodded, hesitated, then put her finger to her mouth, thinking for a moment.

"He might have said jewels…"

Jaune took deep breath, counted to ten, then let it out. He would have to talk with his old man about what phrases can and can't be used near girls.

"Don't worry Rubin, I won't be taking his ring, or any other jewels. I'll just talk with him, and warn him to not be mean anymore."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After that they talked for a bit more about a variety of topics. When he noticed it was almost 3 pm, he decided to end call. They made their goodbyes, and he left CCT tower.

 _Now time for some shopping. Need a few things for the trip tonight._

First stop was general store, where he bought a knife (cheap, but solid), some rope, a hammer and two nails. Well, he didn't lie to Rubin. He wouldn't be taking anything away from this guy. There were… other methods.

Next was buying materials for Vivi dress. He knew a shop, not too far from there that had quality materials, was reasonably priced, and the owner knew him - so he wouldn't get too many strange looks.

 _But seriously, is it really that rare for a Hunter to know how to sew a dress?_

He chuckled.

 _I guess it is. Let me think… Cooking, herbalism, sewing, making drinks, childcare, dancing and playing guitar… not most Hunter-like set of skills… Maybe if I spent more time practicing fighting, I would have made it into combat prep-school. But then I wouldn't met Leon._

* * *

 _Four years ago_.

Helping people was what Jaune always wanted to do. He grew up hearing stories of the heroic deed of his ancestors. His own father, a veteran Hunter, and later his older sister Crystal had added their fair share of stories to that legacy. So it came as little surprise that young Jaune decided he wanted to be Hero and help people - just like his father, and his father before him.

But becoming a Hunter (for Jaune Hero and Hunter were one and the same) wasn't easy. The Arc family wasn't strapped for money - Arthur Arc was a well-known, and skilled Hunter. His wife, Victoria Arc, was a skilled herbalist, and her home-made products were very popular. But taking care of a growing family took time - something the Arc parents had less and less of. So four year old Jaune decided that it was his duty to help his parents - and now two younger sisters. After all, that's what Heroes did - they helped people in need.

So he took it upon himself to look after the three year old Cere, and not even a year old Rubin.

He started learning how to cook and sew, sometimes helping his mother making her herbal products.

Unfortunately, all of this, combined with growing number of siblings (Jaune couldn't be held responsible for what would happen if he heard the term "parent's night out" one more time), him getting more and more involved in his mother craft, and his own school - hadn't left much time for training.

Sure, both Crystal (five years older than Jaune and a huntress-in-training) and his father helped when they could, whenever they were home. But it wasn't enough - so when the time for combat prep school entrance exams come - they went about as well as expected.

After that, Jaune spent around a hour wandering aimlessly. He didn't fell like returning home - his dreams were just crushed, so he wanted to mope around for a bit. What brought him out of his somber thoughts was thud, clattering and a pained moan coming from nearby alley.

Respecting his parents teachings, to always help the ones in need, Jaune made his way towards said alley.

Respecting the fact that he was not an idiot, he didn't run in - instead he plastered himself on a nearby wall, and carefully peeked inside.

The alley, wasn't too dark, or gloomy. It was even fairly clean. There was only one person there - currently kneeling, his forehead pressing against the wall, one hand clutching his stomach, other covering his mouth, muffing occasional moans of pain. The man was obviously trying his best not to puke.

Confirming he wasn't about to walk into a situation over his head, Jaune stepped inside alley.

He opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated. What should he say?

" _Are you ok?_ " The man was obviously not.

" _Do you need help?_ ". Again - stupid question with obvious answer.

"Does your stomach hurt?" Well… not the best one, but at least he was confirming what the problem was, right?

The man shot him a glare, and hissed through clenched teeth.

"Kid… get.. away…"

Someone else might have judged the man rude, or perhaps dangerous, and backed away. Jaune was all too familiar with such situations - usually it was him kneeling and puking his guts out though. One look at the other end of alley, where part of Silver Lake's bullhead dock was visible, gave him a pretty good idea of what man's afficition was.

"You have motion sickness, right?"

The man shot him another annoyed glare.

Jaune reached into his backpack, taking out a small bottle he learned to always carry around.

"Take this. Its herbal medicine. Won't cure you completely, but at very least will ease the pain."

/\\\\\

"Kid, you are a lifesaver," said the Hunter next to him about an hour later. They were sitting on a bench in the nearby park, and Jaune had the chance to take a good look at the older man. He hadn't paid much attention to it at first, but now this was obvious.

The man's clothes were heavily damaged and dirty, but of high quality. He wore dark green pants, olive shirt, and black, heavy looking boots. His torso was covered with a breastplate that looked like leather from afar, but under some closer inspection, proved to be some synthetic material. It wasn't one piece either - it was made with multiple, tiny, hexagon-shaped parts.

The man's shoulders, elbows, knees, and shins were protected with similar material.

His hands were covered with fingerless gloves, each had plate from the same material on the top. Shoulder-length hair, tied in ponytail, was so pale that it appeared almost white. Or rather grey. Two longswords, now set next to the man, completing the image of a veteran Hunter.

Or Hunter-in-training. Jaune wasn't sure - man looked fairly young.

"Kid...do you always carry bottle of stomach medicine with you? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"Yeah."

The man looked at him, surprised.

"One of my sisters gets stomach-aches. Learned to always carry a bottle around in case she needs it. Plus… I have motion sickness too."

The man shot him curious glance, and Jaune met it. Something passed between two of them. Some silent message between strangers, who suddenly met a kindred spirit.

"So, what were you doing there kid? Unless you want to tell me you patrol the city looking for people with motion sickness on a regular basis."

"That's… not that far from truth"

The man, currently rummaging through his backpack, paused and shot Jaune a strange look.

"My Mom makes a lot of things from herbs - medicines, cosmetics, that sort of thing. So I often run around the city delivering them to people who are too old, sick, or busy to get them themselves."

"Really? Must be tough." He said, taking out two cans of soda, and throwing one to Jaune.

He raised his own in toast and said:

"To those cursed by motion sickness."

Jaune chuckled and took a sip.

"So you have a sister, huh? I don't have any siblings. What's having one like? You have to be really close if you carry around a bottle of medicine just in case she gets sick."

"It's more because she is really young - three years old. My other sisters try to help, but they aren't good at taking care of small children."

"Other sisters? You have more?" His companion asked, taking another sip from his can.

"Yeah… Seven." The man sprayed his drink, and looked at Jaune with a mix of horror, and… admiration?

"SEVEN?!"

"Yeah. One older by five years. The rest are younger. I had to help with raising most of them."

"I…" he shook his head.

"I can't even begin to imagine…"

His companion looked like he was looking for the right words, but then just shook his head again.

"How did you even survive that much estrogen?"

Jaune closed his eyes, as some of less than pleasant memories come back.

"With great care. And sweets. Lots and lots of sweets."

They talked some more. The older man shared a few stories from his travels, Jaune answered with his own about his family. They spent some time debating what was more dangerous - being single man in house with eight women, or a freelancer hunter.

Freelancer hunter was the winner - but Jaune pointed out only two out of his women had..."that" time of month yet.

After some brief consideration, his companion agreed that when the girls got a little older - the winner would probably change.

They separated soon after. And as Jaune was making his way back home, he realized two things.

First: he no longer felt terrible about his rejection. It still hurt, but the pain was dulled. When they talked, the older man didn't show any pity or scorn when he learned Jaune failed his entrance exam to combat prep school. He instead was surprised, and - dare he say it? - impressed by Jaune's tales of how he helped raise his sisters. Well, his praises sounded genuine enough. His parting words really stuck with Jaune:

"Don't be down kid - be proud. There are hundreds of thousands kids your age who make it to combat schools. But how many of them can say they raised 6 kids, learned how to make medicine for some of the worst plagues Remnant knows (motion sickness), and graduated their school with decent grades? Hint - not many. So hold your head high, and be proud. See ya around, kid."

Second - he forgot to ask the older man's name.

.

.

.

Oh well, they would probably never see each other again.

* * *

 _Heh, come to think about it - it was always like that. He taught me things, and made me feel better when I was down without me even realising it. And I was teaching - and helping - him too._

Jaune smiled at the memory. Teacher, master, friend, rival, best buddy, companion - he was many things to Jaune. And as much as he knew about surviving in the wilds, fighting, killing Grimm, and many other things, there were many things he didn't know. He didn't know much of anything about interacting with people for instance. Many judged him as brash, rude, uncaring - but Jaune knew it was far from truth. He cared about people - in his own way.

Some of his old friends told Jaune that his teacher has a pack mentality. There is his pack - family, friends, people he cares about, and then there was everyone else. The pack always came first - if someone from outside of it tried to harm someone inside - it would be met with an immediate, and violent response. That didn't ment he didn't care about people outside it - quite the opposite. He was always happy to add another member to his pack.

The buzzing of his scroll woke him up from this thoughts.

He took device out of his pocket and saw he had one new message. He opened it - and sighed when he saw what was inside.

"' **HEC:1$WVwdATL:L;d:ootwthf'** DON'T UNDERSTAND IT?! WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS? SEND "ANSWER" ON 7272 FOR FREE!"

If he were someone naive, or perhaps extremely curious, he might have sent a message back.

If he would be your average person, he would just scoff off at the blatant scam.

Jaune Arc was neither of those, so he did neither.

He knew perfectly well what the bolded text meant. The rest of the message was irrelevant - nothing more than a cover-up, if someone were to take hold of his scroll and read it.

Not that it would remain there for long.

Jaune looked around - there were far too many people around for next part. He REALLY didn't want for anyone see rest of the message. That would... complicate things.

" _First - get a spare one"_

He made his way to nearby scroll store and bought the cheapest model. The lady behind counter did her best to convince him to buy better one - but he politely refused.

"It's for use at work - and I wouldn't want to bring anything fancy out there," he said.

One look at his swords and armor was enough for her to make the connection.

 _Wrong one. But it's better for everyone involved if she doesn't know the truth._

With new scroll in hand, he made his way to a public restroom. There were 3 people inside - but all cabins were free.

Good.

He quickly took one of them - farthest from door - and waited. After around 3 minutes, he heard the door close after last person. He waited for a few more moments, just to make sure he was alone.

Then he activated his new scroll, typed a short message, and sent it to a number he memorized long ago.

Exactly 10 second later, his new scroll started buzzing. He picked it up, quickly said:

"ID:447657 contract: one, one, two, three, five", and ended the call.

Almost instantly he received three messages.

The first message contained tactical information. Target's last known location, map of surrounding area with possible hiding places being marked. He scrolled down, to "combat experience" line, and smiled when he saw "none" written there.

Second message contained a short bio of target. Nothing important - he didn't need to know any of this for what he'd been hired for.

Third one contained the target's photo - the only thing he really needed to complete the contract - and some basic info, like name and age.

Jaune spent a few moments memorizing the face of the young man.

Then he tore the scroll in half.

One part went down the drain.

The second he would dump somewhere far from here - maybe after breaking it down a bit more.

Jaune Arc closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

The Professional let out his breath and opened eyes.

He had a contract to fulfill.

* * *

 **Cr00cy: You guys remember how I said I'll drop hints about what crossover this is? Well I may, or may not have dropped a bit too much in this chapter.**

 **Not too much action in this chapter, but don't worry - it will pick up soon. For now a little omake - this one is about meeting Jaune mentioned Leon organized for him.**

 **Omake: "Thank you"**

Around a year and a half ago, Jaune had had a crisis. He couldn't stop thinking about his failures - real and imagined. When his mentor beat this info out of him (literally), he just nodded, and left it at that.

Two weeks later, when he'd come to Hunter's Rest on some stupid errand (he couldn't even remember what it was - it had just been a way to lure him there), he found place packed full. That wasn't so unusual - Hunter's Rest _was_ popular.

What was different this time, was that every person present was either someone Jaune helped personally, or friends/family of such people.

What followed were some of the most… intense moments of his life. People who he barely remembered, or didn't recognize at all, were coming one by one, shaking his hand, patting his shoulder, and saying things he always wanted to hear, but never thought he would. Or that he would deserve to.

"You saved my daughter - thank you."

"That salve you made did wonders for my leg - thank you."

"We wouldn't have made it out of that forest without you - thank you."

"You brought our children back home - thank you."

The stream of people had continued for over an hour. And each "thank you" made the voice in his head that was always telling him to just give up, that there is no point in trying, because he would fail anyway, a little quieter.

What silenced it for good was a drawing made by a 5 year old girl.

Just when Jaune thought it was over, one more woman approached him. He recognized her instantly - and felt his heart stop for a moment.

The woman was beautiful - or rather had been once upon time. The whole right side of her face (and, as Jaune knew, the entire right side of her body) were covered in terrible burn scars. Scars that were his fault.

* * *

A little over a year before, he and his master had come upon a village under bandit attack. While his mentor was clearing out the trash (Jaune long since stopped considering bandits as human beings), he went to help the wounded villagers. When he was applying salve on some old man's wounds, he learned that two of the bandits had taken some of the villagers to the forest. Noting that his master was still busy with pest control, he decided to do some clearing of his own.

Finding bandits was easy enough - they hadn't expected a pursuit, and probably never even heard the phrase "covering your tracks." At first, he wanted to create a diversion, then free the hostages, and either run with them towards village, or stay and stall bandits.

When one of them pulled one of the captured women out, and started tearing her clothes off - he tensed.

When another one of bandits pulled out a long knife - he sprung to action.

Both of the them were turned away from him, completely drunk, and solely focused on the now half-naked and sobbing woman in front of them.

The first one never knew what hit him.

Jaune's shield slammed into his back, sending him tumbling forward, and before he could do anything else, the pommel of teen's sword met his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Jaune turned towards the other bandit, who was still gaping dumbly at the very young, very armed, and very angry boy who had appeared out of nowhere.

Not one to waste an opportunity when it presented itself, Jaune charged at the other man.

The bandit's parry was clumsy, and left him off balance. The shield that slammed into his head a second later didn't help either. Another slash directed at his stomach was barely dodged - and almost caused the man to topple over.

" _He is no match for me - no training, no aura and he's drunk,"_ thought Jaune, throwing another telegraphed and easily dodgeable attack.

Jaune "barely" swatted aside bandit's mace, and countered with a thrust towards his chest - one he had to slow down quite a bit for the man to dodge.

" _I have to drag him away from the hostages, can't have him pull some desperate, last-minute bulshit near them."_

After taking care of first bandit, Jaune briefly considered trying to knock out the other man in similar manner, but thought better of it. The second man was much bigger and muscular than the first. If many scars and deformed face were anything to go by - he was used to fighting. Plus, the alcohol in his body would dull the pain. Knocking him out would be bound to take a while - so he opted on dragging him as far away from hostages as he could. All the time "struggling" with the fight, convincing the older man that he was pushing him back.

" _Remember Jaune - if you are weaker than your opponent - make them think you are stronger. Taunt them, play off any hits as not hurting at all. They might get impatient, and give you an opening. When they are weaker - make them think they are winning. Let them feel safe, in control, wait for a clear opening and take them down, preferably with single strike. People tend to pull out some desperate shit when they are backed into corner. Plus, it's so much more satisfying to kick them back into dirt when they are sure they've already won."_

The next counter - a shield blow to the face after another "narrow" dodge sent bandit to the ground.

Jaune spared a quick glance behind him - no more than 2 meters between them and the still sobbing woman. When Jaune turned back to bandit, he was on one knee, one hand reaching behind his back. A moment later man threw something at him.

The Fire Dust crystal hit his hastily risen shield, washing the blond teen in flames.

Jaune Arc greet his teeth.

The woman behind him screamed.

* * *

Jaune stared at the woman who had suffered the consequences of his mistake. He came out from the encounter relatively unharmed - and beat the second bandit to bloody pulp. Then spent another week preparing salves and medicines for the woman. It helped ease the pain.

But it didn't fixed what was lost. It never could.

Jaune wasn't sure what he expected from woman. For sure rage - but what would she do? Call him the failure that he was? Blame him for the pain she suffered? Hit him?

He earned all of this, and much more.

So when she enveloped him in gentle hug, and whispered "thank you" into his ear - he thought he could be excused for needing a few moments to reboot his brain.

When he regained ability to perceive his surrounding, he noticed the woman still standing there, and still smiling at him. She wasn't alone though.

He recognized the man next to her as her husband. He was constant presence near her bed the week Jaune had been there.

The young girl peeking from behind her he recognized as well - she was much smaller back then, but the woman's daughter looked even more like her mother now.

He didn't recognize the second child. She (or he?) could only be a year old at most. But Jaune was fairly sure they had only one child back then.

The woman took the child from her husband. Her smile widened.

"She will be two months next Sunday," she said.

 _What?_

She blushed a little.

"Ït happened around a month after you two left."

The realization struck him like hammer.

 _There's no way..._

"She would never have been born if you didn't save my wife," said her husband.

 _Stop._

He stared dumbly at little girl. The little life that would never come to be, if not for his action.

"Her name is Jennie."

 _Please, stop._

Without even realizing, he reached towards the sleeping child. The woman placed her in his hands without any hesitation.

He felt her weight - the weight of life that existed thanks to him. It felt… good.

Something tugged at his sleeve. He looked down and saw the other girl presenting him a folded piece of paper.

Slowly, as to not wake up the little wonder in his arms, he took it and unfolded.

It was picture - about as well drawn as you would expect from 5-year old girl.

There were five people on it.

The four of them, holding hands, had to be girl's family. The fifth one, much bigger, with sword, shield, and blond hair was apparently him.

There were a few words written by someone who was still learning how, but put as much effort as possible.

"Thank you for saving mama and bringing us sis!"

That was final straw. All his regrets, doubts, and fears flew out in the stream of tears.


	4. Harrowing business

**AN: Welcome to ch 3 of TPA. I hope you will enjoy it.  
Proper grammar as always ensured by JJD.**

* * *

 **CH 3**

It was a tale as old as time.

Young boy from some backwater town, comes to big city to make name for himself. There he soon finds out that dreams, determination, and a willingness to work hard don't matter - at least not as much as documented qualifications and connections. And just when it seems like the only remaining option is to come back home in shame, a "generous stranger" appears. He offers said young man a job in his "private courier company", that handles "delicate orders" for "influential people."

Jaune wasn't sure when his mark realized said people were Vale's most wanted criminals, and the packages he was carrying around were drugs, stolen goods, and dirty money. In anycase, at some point after discovering the truth about his job, he decided to quit. Whether it was because he had enough, double-crossed someone, or stole from his boss - it didn't matter.

What mattered was that he caused a mess - one that Jaune had to clean up.

He sighed, and took one more glance at the surrounding area. He was in Vale's warehouse district. This particular part contained the old workers' barracks - most of them long since abandoned.

It was one of such buildings that his mark had picked for a hiding spot. Jaune had spent the last 40 minutes scouting his surroundings, to get idea of how many potential witnesses were around. To his pleasant surprise - there were none.

Deciding that it was as good time as any, he strode towards the building in front of him. It was an ugly, square block, with each wall stretching 20m, with a single corridor going through the middle. Immediately after entering the building, there would be an open kitchen with a seating area on his left, and a bathroom on his right. Slightly further, there would be two rooms, one on each side of the corridor.

Coming closer to the doors - now just an empty hole in the wall - Jaune reviewed the message he had received twenty minutes ago. It was basically an uncoded, and more detailed version of the original.

 **Harrowed Existence Sighted in West Vale, warehouse district.**

 **Class: 1**

 **Combat Experience Pre-Corruption: none**

 **Aura Status Pre-Corruption: locked**

 **Approximate Threat Level - low**

 **Approximate Corruption Level - very low**

 **Additional information - Target appears to retain partial awareness.**

 _So a Ghoul, huh? Not even fully corrupted._

He thought, staring at the photo of a young man - or what was once a young man. The creature that was in the photo still resembled a human - albeit a very twisted human. One arm was almost twice as bulky as the other, and covered in large black marks. Similarly, its face - left side was mostly intact - not counting traces of severe beating person received before he died, But the skin on right side was mostly black. There was a visible cave-in on the side of its head - probably the killing blow.

 _So the kid tried to run. They caught him, probably dragged him to one of their hideouts and made example of him. Looks like they put quite a beating on him while he was tied up judging from his body and wrist. Then they got tired of that, and tied him to a car and drug him around a bit.. The blow to the head had to be what finished him off though._

His mark had one friend in Vale - a girl around his age, a student at a local medical school. He had been staying at her home for the past few days. According to the girl and her parents, he was "good boy" who "wouldn't hurt fly, even if his life depended on it". It was her that reported his disappearance to the Police - two days ago.

 _Judging by the corruption level, he was probably up for no more than four to six hours when this photo was taken. Ghouls usually get up after eight to twelve hours._

The Harrowed was spotted around two hours ago.

 _So, the young boy wants to get out of the criminal organization because he found some good people that believe in him. He tries - and fails. They catch him, and made an example of him. Took their time too._

Jaune sighed.

 _Yep, that's a recipe for a Ghoul spawn right there._

He made it to the door, and slowly peeked inside. Besides some broken furniture, the building appeared empty. A quick check confirmed that his target wasn't in the bathroom - so the only hiding place left were the two rooms.

 _Now which one should I check first? I'd prefer to not be ambushed. Or worse - let him escape._

Drawing his sword - not Crocea Mors, but his longsword with the pitch-black blade - he slowly made his way inside.

 _Left or right - which one should I pick?_

His decision was made for him, when he heard a rustling and some muffled sounds coming from left room.

As he came closer, Jaune quickly recalled what he knew about his target.

Class 1 Harrowed (often referred to as "Ghouls") were the most common type. They didn't possess any crazy abilities, besides a high-level of strength and durability. They usually retained at least a vaguely humanoid shape, and were relatively easy to deal with - if you knew what you were doing. Sometimes, in very rare cases, they retained some of their memories. At least for a short while. They formed when someone died slowly, filled with regret, and were fully aware of what was happening - for example, if a young man had tried to run away from some criminal organization, but was caught and made an example of.

Jaune closed the remaining distance, and slowly looked inside room. The Ghoul was easy to spot - he was just sitting in one corner - the farthest from the door - and poking at the wall. Jaune took deep breath, and entered the room.

The beast still hadn't noticed him, so he used the chance to examine it. It still looked mostly human, with only its left hand being much bulkier and black. There were a few more black spots on its body, and two very short bone spikes growing on its back.

Jaune took a few careful steps towards the creature. Somehow it still hadn't noticed him.

 _Good. It's probably distracted by the noise it's making. If I'm careful I should be able to sneak up on it and…_

The Ghoul whipped around, staring straight into Jaune's eyes. One of its were red and glowing - much like that of Grimm, the other still a brown-ish hue.

 _Or it could just turn around and make it harder for me. Sure, why not._

Jaune tensed, sword at the ready, and waited for an attack. It didn't come.

A few tension-filled seconds passed. Neither of them made a single move.

 _Is it seriously waiting for me to make my move? It shouldn't be that intelligent._

Then he saw flicker of... something in the beast's brown eye. Something human.

"You're still in there, aren't you?"

The beast let out a low growl.

"It must hurt a lot."

With a snarl the Ghoul jumped. Jaune danced out of the way and slashed, cutting off the Harrowed's black hand. It landed heavily, stumbled, and fell. It tried to get up, but Jaune was already on it. The black blade easily pierced the creature's back, pinning it to the floor. It let out a surprisingly human cry of pain, struggled for few seconds, then stilled.

 _"I am Guide for damned,_

 _I am the Ferryman of lost souls._

 _With this blade I release yours, dear Brother._

 _I will cut down the chains of sorrow that bind you,_

 _I will vanquish the fear that crushes you._

 _I will bring you peace."_

Just as the last word left Jaune's mouth, so did the last black spot disappear form the Ghoul's body.

He got up and let out a loud sigh.

 _Still, the real monsters here are his former employers._

He spared one last look at the, now completely human, corpse.

 _Rest in peace. I hope you didn't suffer too long._

He sighed, and made his way towards the exit.

* * *

"FREEZE!"

"HANDS IN THE AIR, YOU SCUM!"

"DROP YOUR WEAPON, ASSHOLE!"

These were the first words he heard when he left the building. Each sentence was uttered by men wearing the uniform of Vale Police Department, each pointing a gun at him.

 _I knew today started too well. Is this punishment for having an extra serving of Mei's dumplings?_

And as he was pushed to the ground, his hands being cuffed behind his back, and his rights being read to him, he couldn't help but think:

 _Still worth it._

* * *

Jaune looked around the interrogation room. It looked oddly familiar - even though it was the first time he was visiting this one.

 _Well, you've seen one - you've seen them all._

He had been sitting there for about 20 minutes now - it was almost 7 pm, and Jaune was starting to get nervous.

 _I really need to wrap this up quickly. Still need to make it to the plane._

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors opened, and man who was clearly not a police officer entered the room.

He was wearing a black suit of good quality, sunglasses and black tie. At first glance he looked like your average office worker. No one would bother with a second look.

"Please accept our apologies." He said, taking seat in front of Jaune.

"This… situation is the result of an oversight on our part. It appears that the local authorities were not informed that one of our Representatives was operating in the area. Of course, we've already resolved this misunderstanding. You can go now, your belongings will be returned to you at the front desk. I wish you good night."

With that, the man stood up and left.

 _Well, that one was talkative for a Company agent._

Thought Jaune, as he followed the man towards the exit.

 _Usually they hardly say anything at all. And he even apologized._

When he was collecting his things at the front desk, he heard a nervous cough behind him. He turned around, and saw one of officers that arrested him.

"I just wanted to say sorry." He said

Jaune shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. You thought you were dealing with some sociopath murderer. Not the first time it has happened to me, and probably won't be the last".

Yes, that was one of biggest drawbacks of Jaune's not-really-secret occupation. Even though he was the Company's Harrowed Extermination Representative, situations like this happened from time to time.

After all, when some policeman found you with blood-soaked sword over a mutilated body, they tended to jump to conclusions. Explaining that said corpse was monster just few seconds ago usually didn't work out too well.

The policeman just nodded and handed him a small plastic card - his Company ID. Jaune looked at it and smiled. It had only some basic info - his photo, name and Company identification number. Just like hundreds of thousands of other IDs

What was different were seven words written at the bottom:

 **Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company Harrowed Extermination Representative**

 _I wonder if anyone actually uses the full name?_

Jaune suspected that the answer was no. At least, he preferred shortened version.

WITCHER had such a nice ring to it.

* * *

Jaune was not in a good mood.

He made it to the plane without much of a problem. The trip to Silver Lake was uneventful, but not very comfortable. He spent the whole five hours long flight in the cold cargo bay, his medicine had stopped working somewhere around the third hour, and he had to rely on his Aura to fight off the motion sickness. He had hoped to let out some of the stress dealing with his new target - but the guy proved surprisingly hard to find, and lure to some secluded location where they could… "talk." This, combined with a longer than expected flight, left Jaune with very little time to work with, if he wanted to make it back for the meeting. The flight back, while faster, was just as unpleasant. He couldn't afford to take his medicine now, since it made him sleepy for a few hours.

So, now he was sitting at small table in Hunter's Rest, one with a good view of the entrance, and close to kitchen door. That way he could get good look at anyone who entered, before they could notice him, and if someone who he didn't want to meet appeared, he could retreat through the back door.

Jaune checked his scroll again. It was 7:45. The client should be arriving any moment now.

There were already a few patrons inside, with new ones filing in from time to time.

A few minutes passed, and a few more people entered Hunter's Rest - but not a single one of them spared more than a single glance towards Jaune.

He sighed, and just as he considered ordering something to eat, the door opened one more time, and a single, well-dressed, middle-aged man entered the room. He didn't even bother to look around as he headed straight towards Jaune as soon as he passed the door.

Jaune recognized him instantly - how could he not? Anyone who was in this line of business had at the very least heard of the man.

 _So this is my client, huh? This should be… interesting._

"Jaune Arc, I presume?"

The man said, extending his hand.

"One and the same."

Jaune shook his hand, and pointed to other chair for the man to sit.

"So, how can I be of assistance to Headmaster of Beacon Academy?"

Professor Ozpin smiled.

"Well, I think it's obvious isn't it? I need some… professional help."

 _Now that's bulshit_ _if I've ever heard it. He probably can call dozens of Hunters with much more experience than me anytime. And that's not counting the Beacon staff, or students._

"Pardon my bluntness Headmaster, but I'm sure you could easily reach out to someone with much more experience than myself."

"True." Ozpin easily admitted. "But for the task I have in mind, your unique skill set would be of the utmost value. There are some… other reasons I'm coming to you as well.

"Other reasons?"

 _Other reasons could be bad for your health._

Ozpin took the previously ordered cup of coffee from Mei, took long sip, and smiled contently.

"Before I explain, please tell me: how much did your teacher tell you about this job?"

 _I hate this playing coy shit._

"Only thats it's in Vale, and the client is someone he knows personally. Nothing more."

Ozpin nodded, took another sip, and spoke.

"I'm sure that you are aware that Beacon will soon start its academic year?" The older man waited for Jaune to confirm before continuing. "Usually, around this time of year, I'm hiring several Hunters to check out the initiation area in order to ensure potential students do not run into something over their heads."

 _That actually makes sense… now that he mentions it, Leon always insisted we come back to Vale around this time of year._

"I make sure to always include at least one WITCHER in this group. Usually it's your mentor, but as you know he is unavailable at the moment. He mentioned you would be in the area when we last spoke, and assured me you are more than qualified for such a task."

"But that's not everything, right? You could hire any Representative for this. Even a regular, more experienced Hunter would probably do the job." He leaned across the table. "So I ask again: why me?"

Ozpin took a long sip. Then another. And another.

Just when Jaune was starting to get irritated, he spoke.

"Would you like to come to my school, Jaune?"

 _What?!_

"What?!"

Ozpin took a long sip. Then another.

 _Take one more. I dare you, take one more sip. See what happens._

Whether the older man heard his mental message, or just had enough coffee, he spoke again.

"It's simple Mr. Arc. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by your teacher. He made a request - to give his pupil chance to attend Beacon."

"What?" asked Jaune.

 _Very eloquent brain, really. You're doing great._

Ozpin just smiled.

"I assure you, I was just as surprised. Usually, I am the one making requests of him."

All Jaune could do was stare at the man in front of him.

 _So, this is the "special bonus" Leon mentioned…_

"So, you're going to let me attend Beacon? Just like that? And what does this job have to do with it?"

"Yes, I'm more than willing to accept a skilled individual into my school. Especially if said individual comes with a recommendation from one of my trusted friends - one that I know is not easily impressed. As for your job - it's simple. You can think of it as your entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?"

"Yes. As you know there are two way to get accepted into Beacon - either graduate from a combat prep school, and get a recommendation from there, or pass our entrance exam. There are a lot of people who couldn't attend schools afterall. Unfortunately we couldn't contact you in time to schedule you for such an exam. That's why, after discussing it with my colleagues, we decided to bend the rules a bit and offer you this opportunity."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee and continued.

"You will join a group of experienced Hunters on a simple mission - assessing the Grimm population in the area initiation will take place. Your performance will be observed and graded. Should we judge your performance satisfactory, you will join the rest of the students at initiation day."

"Wait, why would I need to pass initiation, if you're send me on mission in the same area?"

"Because initiation serves not only as way to assess the skills of our future students, but also plays an important role in assigning teams."

Jaune nodded.

"Ok, so to sum it up - I am to go on routine mission to assist some Hunters in assessing

the Grimm population, should I perform well, I'll get chance to attend Beacon."

"That is correct."

Jaune considered Ozpin's words for few moments. The offer looked good - almost too good to be true. If not for his master's message earlier, he would've been more suspicious. It's not everyday the Headmaster of one of most prestigious combat academies in the world offered you a place in his school. But since he knew his master was involved - he was willing to believe him.

"Ok, sounds good to me. Let's talk about details."

* * *

Blake Belladonna leaned against the wall and let out a tired sigh. She had done it. She'd been accepted to Beacon.

The last week had been nerve-wracking. She passed the entrance exam without any problems - years of training and fighting in White Fang put her above most hunters-in-training. It was the waiting that really got her - despite what she hoped, she didn't get a decision the same day she passed exam. Only now, almost a week after, and only two days before initiation, she was invited to an interview by Headmaster Ozpin. He assured her it was standard procedure, but she still was nervous - whole time expecting Vale Police Officers to burst into room and arrest her. Nothing like that happened - even though Ozpin had subtly suggested he was aware of her past.

Oh well, she was now formally a huntress-in-training. This was first step on her road to redemption. She wouldn't waste it.

She pushed off the wall, rounded the corner - and collided with someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" She heard a male voice ask.

Thankfully, she didn't fall - that would have been embarrassing. Instead, she looked up at the man in question.

Boy, she quickly amended - he couldn't be older than her. Tall and lean, almost scraggy. Blond hair, blue eyes. He wore a simple hoodie underneath a breastplate, pauldrons, and armored gloves. Simple jeans, and heavy, metal-reinforced boots. This, plus the two swords on his hip suggested he was hunter-in-training.

 _Is he here for the interview too? I don't recall him from the exam… but he might have taken it at a different date._

His next words all but confirmed her suspicions.

"Are you here for the interview too?"

She nodded.

He laughed nervously.

"So… is Ozpin inside?" He asked, pointing at the door to the room she left a few moments ago.

 _Why is he so nervous? It's just an interview._

Her eyes narrowed, but she squashed the suspicions that started building inside her.

 _It's just my paranoia talking. He is just some 17 year old boy about to meet one of most influential people in Vale. Of course he's nervous._ _Now calm down, and answer him like a completely normal person._

"Yes. I just left - he should still be inside."

"Thanks. So-o.. I'm…" he made to speak, but voice behind her interrupted him.

"Ah, mister Arc. It's good to see you made it. Please, come inside."

He smiled at her apologetically.

"Well I guess we'll meet tomorrow? See you later."

 _Tomorrow?_

Ah, yes. All candidates would gather at Beacon to be prior to the initiation the next day.

 _Calm down. He is just normal boy. He is going to Beacon, saw another student, and just wanted to talk. Nothing suspicious about it._

She took a few deep breaths and let go of Gambol Shroud.

 _Gotta take a hold of myself. I can't be so nervous, people will get suspicious._

* * *

 _Damn, she was cute._ Thought Jaune as he entered room with Ozpin.

 _But why so jumpy? I'm pretty sure I didn't accidently grab her or anything when we hit._

The older man urge him to sit on one chair, taking the other for himself. Then he placed his scroll on table between them, pressed a few buttons - and a holographic display appeared over the table.

"This is the area Initiation will take place at," said Ozpin. "As you can see, it's mostly forest, surrounded by mountains. It's actually right next to Beacon. Like I mentioned, we hired several hunters to help ensure that the population of Grimm in the area are kept at a manageable level. We have twelve people in total, excluding yourself. They will be divided into six, two-person teams. Each team will have its zone to cover."

As he spoke, another display appeared - this one was a simple map of the same area, with six zones, each differently colored, and numbered from one to six.

"Since I won't be on any team, I assume you want me to just run through every zone and confirm that there are no Harrowed?"

"That's what we initially planned yes." Said Ozpin "But there was a change of plans "

At that, a third display appeared. It was a photograph. Very poor quality, but one could just make out a black, vaguely humanoid creature on it. Well, it was standing on two legs, and had two arms. It was hard to tell anything more.

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"It's not an Ursa… too big for Beowolf… though it might be an Alpha."

He looked at the older man.

"You think it's a Harrowed?"

"It's a possibility. We noticed its presence only two days ago, though it's possible it was there for longer. The photo you see was taken by one of the cameras we have installed in the forest. It's from yesterday, and only one with the whole thing in it. We have few more if you want to see them - but even though they are of better quality, they only capture fragments of body, sometimes only a shadow is visible."

"What has us concerned, is that on every photo where we got even glimpse of it, it appears to be alone. And most of them were taken in this area," said Ozpin, pointing at a red circle that appeared on the first display. It covered the northern part of forest, with some mountains.

"It's rather unusual for a Beowolf, especially an Alpha, to be alone. Or to stick to one place for so long." Jaune hummed. "Judging by looks, it might be a heavily corrupted Ghoul, but it's really hard to tell."

"Exacily. While it's not unheard of, we prefer to be safe than sorry. That's why we want you to investigated this area, and eliminate whatever it is. If it turns out to be Harrowed, confirm whether or not it originated from this area. We are almost certain it's not, but we want to be sure."

 _So it's a simple search and destroy._

"What can you tell me about this area?"

"It's mostly forest, not too thick. The ground is even, covered in high grass - but not enough for something this size to hide in. There is one cave." He explained, pointing at the map. "Around here."

 _Almost exactly at the centre. Guess I know where I'll be heading._

"How do I get there?"

"You will be transported by bullhead. We will drop you with Team 4 around here," he pointed at a spot, roughly a kilometer from his destination.

"All participants will have their scrolls synced to Beacon's network to ensure that you will be able to communicate easily. All Hunters will know about your presence - but not the details about why you are there. Teams 4 and 5 have been informed to prioritize any calls for help from you over their own task. Operation begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. You are to gather at Vale Central Airport, dock number 9. Any questions?"

Jaune shook his head. Everything was clear - at least as clear as it could be when dealing with an unknown threat.

"Good. Then we will see each other tomorrow. I wish you a good night Mr. Arc."

* * *

Jaune was at the airport at 8:25. He wasn't the first there - a few Hunters were already standing near dock 9, talking about something. When he came closer, they turned, giving him a nod in greeting, and going back to whatever they were talking about.

At 8:40, the last pair of hunters arrived. One of them was a middle-aged man, who Jaune vaguely recognized from somewhere. The other was much younger, about Jaune's age. He was talking about something with the older man, waving his arms around excitedly.

At 8:50, three bullheads with the Beacon logo arrived. One of them carried Ozpin and a blond woman Jaune didn't recognized.

 _Probably Glynda Goodwitch, Ozpin's right hand._

They gave some last-minute instructions to the gathered Hunters, and then wished them good luck.

As the teams started to board the designated Bullheads, Ozpin called out to Jaune.

"We got a clearer picture of your target." He said, while the blond woman handed him an envelope.

Jaune opened it and looked inside. There was a photo taken with a night vision filter, and at some distance. The creature was turned away from whoever had taken the photo, but Jaune could see black skin and bone spikes popping out of its back.

"It certainly looks like an Alpha Beowolf…"

"That was our conclusion as well. But it's behavior is very…abnormal. The Hunter who took this picture attempted to eliminate it, but before he could get close enough, it sensed him… and ran."

Jaune looked at man with surprise.

"It…ran? Without even fighting?"

"Yes." This time it was the woman who spoke. "While it's possible that it simply sensed something else, it certainly seem to be too much of a coincidence. The Hunter in question reported that it remained completely motionless for an extended period of time - almost half a hour. Then, when he closed to about 100 meter radius, it suddenly started running away from him. It didn't run in a straight line either - it changed direction frequently. Ultimately, the Hunter chased it down to a cave in the middle of its territory, at which point he decided stop pursuit, deeming entering an unknown cave, with unknown threat inside and no backup too dangerous."

 _Smart man._ Thought Jaune.

The woman fixed her glasses and continued.

"We couldn't obtain any more information on your target Mr. Arc. But based on the information we have, it's almost certainly an Alpha Beowolf. While its behavior is highly unusual, it could be the result of its experience."

Jaune stared at photograph a little longer. It certainly looked like a Beowolf. A very odd-behaving one, but still a Beowolf. He couldn't see the creature's head, since it was facing away from camera, and was hunched over.

 _It looks… normal. No apparent deviations, and judging from looks, it could have been a Ghoul… But they usually bulker, and shorter. Plus to reach this level of corruption it had to be very old - someone would have taken notice of it. It could have come from somewhere else. Maybe someone hunted it and failed, so it ran here? Damn, if only I could see its head - could tell for sure then._

Jaune sighed, and handed the envelope back to the woman.

"I think I can agree that it's just a very unusual Beowolf. The photos don't show too many details, but from what I can tell, it's too tall, and its limbs are too thin to be a Ghoul. It might be some other kind of Harrowed… but they tend to have very distinctive shapes."

"I see..." said Ozpin, nodding in understanding.

He seemed to contemplate something for few seconds, then spoke again.

"Your mission remains the same Mr. Arc. You are to locate this creature and eliminate it. If it's Harrowed - investigate area and look for any clues as to where it came from. After you are done with this task, you are to assist the other teams with Grimm control."

Jaune nodded.

"Understood."

They shook hands and Jaune made his way towards the bullhead.

They took off as soon as he strapped himself in. The trip would take only about half an hour - not enough time to try to catch any sleep, so Jaune instead examined his temporary companions. To his left, talking quietly between themselves sat a pair - man and a woman. They looked to be in their mid-twenties. He couldn't bet sure if they were a couple, siblings, or just friends.

In front of him, and to the right sat an older man, who Jaune was sure he knew from somewhere. Judging by how man stared at him the moment he entered bullhead, it was a mutual feeling.

Jaune made to ask, but another voice interrupted him.

"So you are the WITCHER guy, huh? You're younger than I expected."

Jaune turned to the last occupant of the bullhead.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

The boy - he couldn't be any older than Jaune - looked at him for a few seconds, a friendly smile on his lips.

"I bet. So tell me - why did Headmaster Ozpin hire you?" He asked leaning forward. "If it's not a secret I mean." He quickly added.

Jaune just shrugged.

"They suspect there is a Harrowed in the area. My job is to look into it, kill whatever it is, and then assist you guys."

"Well, you don't have to worry about us - we can take care of ourselves." He said a little too proudly. "My friend here is a veteran hunter." He nodded towards the older man. Jaune looked at him, just in time to notice slight wince at 'friend'.

 _Probably hired as bodyguard. And by the looks of it, the job not as easy as he thought it would be._

"And I'm no pushover either. You see, my family is very well connected, we're the Dances, so I was trained by the best. I don't want to brag…" He said, with tone suggesting that not only did he want to, but was also more than willing to - and no one could stop him.

Jaune tuned him out after just a few words - and he wasn't only one. It looked like no one was paying any attention to his blaber - but it didn't discourage him.

Jaune's focus was on the older Hunter. _Where do I know this guy from. I'm sure we met before, but I can't remember._ He thought, making some acknowledging sounds from time to time.

...graduated?"

It took him few seconds to realize boy in front of him asked him a question.

"Excuse me, I got lost in my thoughts. What did you ask?"

"Sunny." The boy finally introduced himself. "I just wanted to know what school you graduated from. You see, before this mission I did a little background check on the people hired for it - I mean, we're professionals after all, and like to know who we're working with, am I right? So I checked everyone out, but you - I couldn't find much on you. There are some records in the Company of you doing job or two, but nothing about your qualifications. So I was just wondering - what school did you graduate from? And when did you passed exam for the WITCHER certification? I mean, from what I've heard, the Company's courses take at least one year…"

"Heartshatter Ridge".

There were a few moments of silence.

"Heartshatter Ridge. That's where I graduated." Jaune repeated.

Everyone was staring at him for few seconds before the boy in front of him erupted.

"Heart..what the hell are you talking about?! I know the place, it's just few houses, and a palisade. There is no school there!"

"Trial by fire," a new voice spoke. It belonged to the boy's older companion, who was now staring at Jaune with a slight smile.

"He graduated by trial by fire." Seeing the questioning looks of other occupants of the bullhead, he explained.

"That's how us old-timers refer to someone that didn't go to school, but proved their skill in the field. "He," the man pointed to Jaune, "traveled for a few years with an experienced Hunter, and learned the ropes in the field. That's how he got his WITCHER licence - you don't have to do any courses to attempt the exam in that case. And if at least five WITCHERS with at least one year experience give you a recommendation - you don't even need an exam."

He continued with a smile on his face.

"I knew I knew you from somewhere kid. You were shorter back then. And I had more facial hair, and less clothing. Jaune Arc right?"

Seeing that Jaune still couldn't connect the dots, he elaborated.

"Vacuo? Like a eight months ago? Long-term contract to escort a caravan delivering supplies to some Dust mines in the desert. Had a run-in with a Ghoul - bastard almost bit my arm off," at that he presented his left arm, with clearly visible bite marks.

"Would have died if not for his teacher cutting the damn thing down. Would have lost the arm too, if not for your medicine kid. I still don't know what the hell was that thing you gave me - but I was sure I was hallucinating when I saw the flesh start to grow back."

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Ah! I remember now. Butch! I also remember that you were quite proud of your beard. What made you decide to shave it?"

He smiled.

"A woman."

Jaune chuckled. Yeah, that would explain a few things. Then he recalled something else.

"Hey, after they got you to the hospital, what did the doctors say?"

The man looked at Jaune surprised.

"Well, at first they couldn't believe my arm was almost completely separated just a few hours before. They gave me a blood transfusion, kept me for a few days, and then let me go."

"There were no.. side effects?" Seeing man's questioning glance, Jaune explained. "What I gave you was not exactly… tested before. I used it few times on myself, and was always fine, but when I gave it to other people there were often...side-effects - nausea, dizziness, increased, or slowed heartbeat. One guy started hallucinating, and lost consciousness for three days."

The older man rubbed his chin. "Can't say for sure. I passed out, but it might have been due to the blood loss. Can't remember if I had anything else."

Jaune just nodded.

Soon after he started traveling with Leon, he had started experimenting with mixing Dust and herbs to create Dust-enhanced medicines (or elixirs, as his teacher called them). They proved to be very effective, but the stronger ones had serious side effect for anyone that used them. Anyone but Jaune. He still didn't know for sure why - Leon speculated it might have been either because his high Aura level, or a sign of his awakening semblance.

"So you're a WITCHER then? What's that like? I've heard a lot about you guys - not sure what to believe."

This time it was girl sitting next to him. She was staring at him too, but with curiosity. She held out a hand.

"I'm Bonnie by the way. The broody type next to me is Clyde." The man raised a few fingers in salute.

Jaune took the offered hand. "Well, it's not that different than being Hunter. You do the same type of thing - only difference is that we're trained on how to properly deal with Harrowed."

"So are there any special tricks? Hidden knowledge? Dark, secret rituals, performed in long-forgotten temples?" She asked excitedly.

Jaune laughed.

"I'm afraid not." She looked disappointed for awhile, but then perked up.

"So, what do you think is out there?" Clyde asked.

Jaune was considering answer for few moments.

"It's… hard to tell. Everything points to it just being a big Alpha Beowolf. But it's acting very strange - goes solo, runs without fighting, sticks to very specific territory. For sure its not a Wraith - they always stay close to place they died, plus they look more human. It could be a heavily corrupted Ghoul - but from the photos I saw it looked too tall and too lean to be one. Plus there is one more problem - if it would be Harrowed there had to be body. And I'm sure someone would have noticed if someone died so close to Beacon."

Jaune eyebrows narrowed.

"It could be an Aberration…" he said slowly.

"Aberration?" asked the boy in front of him.

"They are kind of... special cases. Officially called Class 3: Aberrated Harrowed Existence, they are outliers. Unlike Class 1 and 2, there is almost no common traits between them, no single strategy to fight them - you have to adapt on the fly."

"But they usually have very distinctive looks . Even when it's a parasite-type Aberration - they tend to mutated they host beyond recognition. This one looked like a normal Alpha."

Jaune looked around, and smiled.

"So, any more questions?"

"What is the deal with this black swords you WITCHERs use? I saw few of you, and everyone carried one - but they also had normal weapons. There is something special about them right?" Bonnie asked excitedly.

"Actually not every Witcher has one. Making one is very hard, costly, and you have to do it on your own. It's kind of like graduation ceremony. While you can get Company licence without having one, most veterans don't consider you 'true' Witcher without it."

"So how are they made? And what's so hard about it?"

"First of all, you need very high quality Dust. Several types in fact. You then mix it with steel and few other things to create special alloy. Tricky part is that exact proportions, and types of Dust differ from person to person - only way to find out yours is to experiment. Then the blade is forged with an application of one's Aura. Its delicate process - easy to mess up, and when you do, you have to start from scratch."

"So what does it do? Does it shoot lighting? Burst in flames? Cuts through every material like a hot knife through butter?"

Jaune just smiled. He _could_ just tell them.

But there were more… entertaining ways of explaining.

He handed his black blade - still in its scabbard - to the girl.

"See for yourself."

She unsheathed the blade and looked it over, face slowly changing from excited, to surprise, and suspicious.

He knew why. The blade was dull, covered in cracks, and...

 _Wait for it…_

The girl turned sword around wanting to inspect the marks near hilt more closely. In doing so she hit bullhead floor with the tip of blade - breaking it.

Jaune somehow managed to not burst out laughing.

The poor girl looked like she wasn't sure whether to apologize, start making excuses, or burst into tears.

Jaune took mercy on her.

"As you can see, the blade is dull, and very brittle. It's basically a piece of junk. Unless its owner is holding it." With that, he grabbed hilt of weapon - and it stirred to life. The cracks started to disappear, the edges sharpened, and the broken tip still lying on floor turned into mist and started reforming on blade.

"The production process makes it very sensitive to Aura - you can use it to strengthen the blade."

"Wait, isn't something like that, like, super hard?"

"Yes. That's why we make them ourselves. By using our aura in the forging process it becomes much easier to insert your aura into it. It also means that no one else would be able to use your blade."

"That's...kinda cool. But there has to be more, right? No way you go through all this trouble just to make sword no one else can use."

Jaune smiled.

"Of course not. This swords has another property - one that is extremely dangerous if mishandled…one that is almost required to deal with most Harrowed. One that makes it so dangerous, some WITCHERS choose not to craft a blade at all. One that is..."

Jaune shot the girl a quick glance.

She looked like she was about to explode from anticipation. And it wasn't just her, all the passengers were now staring intensely at Jaune.

 _Damn, I almost feel sorry for what I'm about to do._ He smiled. _Almost._

"... a secret."

Few seconds passed in silence. Then the bullhead exploded. Figuratively.

"Oh come on! You can't leave us hanging like that!"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell. How about I tell you some cool stories, to make up for it?"

"Hmpf. They better be good." Bonnie pouted.

Yeah… Black blades weren't exactly secret. And technically he COULD tell them...

It's just that most people tended to get nervous when they learned you had weapon that basically devoured your soul...

They talked for some more, exchanging stories, and Jaune explaining how to best deal with some of the more common Harrowed.

"Two minutes out." The pilot called over the intercom.

Butch turned to the rest of the bullhead.

"I hope you'll all humor an old man." He started, finding his feet. "I know we're not on official teams, but I'd like to cover a few things before we land." He touched his scroll. "We'll be on channel 3 if you need anything, if you wouldn't mind changing yours to the same, this old man can call on you if and when he gets in trouble."

Jaune knew he was anything but, and adjusted his comm channel. He could see Bonnie and Clyde doing the same.

"Bullhead response time is around thirty minutes, but give three shots in rapid succession and we'll find you quicker." He smiled at Jaune. "Any loud noise will do."

"Coming in for landing." The pilot called.

"See you all back at the Rest for a round after this." Butch finished.

Soon after they touched down, the first pair - the Butch and (as Jaune learned) his student, Sunny, left.

The remaining pair tried to bait him into telling the secret of his sword - but this was cut short when they reached his destination. He bid them farewell, and jumped off the bullhead.

 _Ok, playtime is over. Time to go to work._

* * *

It took him long far longer to reach the edge of his target's territory than he expected.

 _That was… a lot of Grimm. Not overwhelming, but more than I thought it would be._

He thought for a moment as he stopped to catch his breath.

 _Now - should I go straight for cave, or check out the edges of its territory first?_

After brief consideration, he decided to investigate further. He stopped from time to time, to take closer look on some footprints, or claw marks on the trees.

 _Judging by the footprints and claw marks, it's a Beowolf. A Ghoul would leave deeper marks…the footprints don't match either. So it has to be a little wolfie… or rather a biggie._

Yes, judging by all the traces he found, it was quite big for Beowolf - not abnormally so, but still big.

 _But why would it leave these marks anyway?_ Thought Jaune, stopping before one such mark - four deep scars on the tree trunk.

 _It's clearly marks its territory. But I've never heard of Beowolf doing this. Or any Grimm really - they tend to wander a lot after all._

After a second of thought Jaune took a few pictures of the marks on the tree, and some of the footprints. He sent them to Ozpin, together with his conclusion that it's most probably a very old Alpha Beowolf, and that he was going to look for cave now.

The reply from Ozpin came almost instantly.

" _Understood. Proceed with caution._ **"**

 _I will, no need to tell me._

Finding the cave took him a lot longer than he thought it would. He stopped roughly fifty meters before the entrance, and hid behind a tree where he could observe the cave.

He checked his scroll.

 _Almost 2 pm? It took longer than expected. Now should I go in, or wait?_

Thought struck him, and he sent a quick message to Ozpin. A few minutes later he received response - none of cameras caught beast since it hid in the cave.

 _So it should be still inside. Maybe if I wait a bit it will come out? I'd prefer to fight it in the open._

After thirty or so minutes of nothing happening, Jaune decided that no, whatever was inside wouldn't make it easier on him by walking out of the cave.

That meant he had to go inside.

He knelt, took his backpack off, and started rummaging through it. After few seconds he pulled out a wooden box.

 _Now, should I use them?_

He thought, opening the box and revealing several small bottles made of reinforced glass.

His greatest accomplishment, something even his teacher was surprised by. His masterpiece.

His elixirs.

.

.

.

 _Just when did I start to call them that? Sure it's easier to say than 'Dust-augmented Herbal Aura Stimulants', but still…_

He shook his head, and focused on the task at hand.

 _I will be fighting in a dark cave… so something for night vision… or maybe a hearing booster? If there wasn't any light to amplify, then night vision would be useless. What else… it will be tight in there, but that will hinder it more than me._

After few minutes of considering his options, he picked six bottles.

Two healing enhancers, - simple potions, that boosted the natural healing factor of one's Aura.

Two perception stimulants - they boosted hearing, touch, sense of smell, and the ability to perceive fast movements. The downside was the brief disorientation when consumed, hindered perception of colours, and a killer migrene that kicked in about a hour after consuming one.

The heart enhancer - despite what it did - was a relatively safe one. After drinking this potion Jaune could, with careful application of Aura, either hasten, or lower his heart rate. The first option was useful when he wanted to speed up the activation of some of the other potions. Second - if he wanted to do the opposite, or, as he learned in very painful way, to slow down bleeding if he ran out of healing enhancers, and help wasn't coming.

And lastly - Dusk. He hesitated a moment, considering if he really wanted to take this one with him.

Dusk was one of the most potent elixirs he'd ever created. The drawbacks were massive - the first time he used it, he passed out after just fifteen seconds, and woke up four days later. It took another two weeks before he could walk again. He'd also lost around three kilograms - just from the brief moment elixir was active.

After a second attempt, when he passed out after a whopping seventeen seconds, he'd abandoned these recipes as impractical. It knocked him out too fast, and he could barely do anything because of intense shock he was experiencing.

Only after discovering the Heart Enhancer, he came back to working on Dusk. The reason it was knocking him out was because it increased his heart rate too much. Now, with ability to control it, and after a lot of practice, Jaune could last for almost four minutes. He still lost consciousness most of the time - but only for few hours, and after day or two of rest he was fine. And the benefits it offered were well worth it.

It completely removed natural inhibitions and sense of pain. His reflexes were greatly increased, and, what was possibly the biggest benefit - he could see others' Aura. Not clearly - it was more of a pulsation of colour - but after some practice he learned how to use it to determine when someone is going to attack him, or if they were using their Semblance.

Overall, it was a good trump card.

 _Heh, now that I think about it - if I can use stuff like that, 'you can drink potions' Semblance doesn't sound so bad._

Thought Jaune, putting box with the elixirs back to backpack and moving towards the cave.

 _I really hope it's not too big. Don't want to spend whole day in a damp, dark cave, looking for some strange Beowolf that doesn't have decency to come out and die like any good Grimm._

He made it to entrance, looked inside, and after determining that no, his mark was not nice enough to sit there and wait for him, he he made to push onward.

His scroll ringing stopped him. He looked at the contact name, and took the call.

"Hey Butch, whats up?"

"Just wanted to tell you we finished with our Job. Bonnie and Clyde are done too. How about you? Need some backup?"

Jaune considered it for few moments. Backup sounded nice - it was always good to have someone watch your back. On the other hand…

"I think I'll pass. Need to investigate cave it's hiding in, and it looks pretty narrow. More people will just get in each other way."

"Got it. How long do you think it will take?

"No idea - depends how deep this damn cave goes, and how far our friend is hiding." He checked the time - it was 2:14 pm.

"Ok listen - give me like half an hour. If I don't find the bastard by then, I will send you a message, and you can take off without me."

"You sure? We can wait for longer."

"Yeah, no need for you to waste your whole day. I'll be fine - won't be first time I'm going solo."

"Ok. See you later."

At this the call ended. Jaune took deep breath and stepped into darkness.

* * *

 _At least it's straight…_

He thought about two hours later. Or was it three? Jaune didn't really know. He always lost track of time in caves - one of reasons he didn't like them. And he couldn't check time on his scroll - not only that would have created an opening for monster to attack him, he already took a perception enhancer - the light from device would surely blind him for few seconds, and make it harder to re-adjust to darkness.

Just as the first signs of a migraine started to show up, Jaune picked up a new sound. He listened for few seconds - yeah that was the sound of claws scraping on stone.

Jaune smiled.

 _Found you, asshole._

The sound was coming from further ahead - and seemed to be coming closer.

Eager to be done with his task, Jaune huried ahead. Which meant he took slightly less time probing the ground ahead before taking his next step.

He didn't have to go far - just a few steps ahead, after rounding one corner, he came upon a 'room' - about ten meters in diameter. In the middle of it was his mark - a massive Alpha Beowolf.

 _Ok, show time._

Jaune smiled. Its back was turned to him, and it obviously hadn't noticed him yet.

 _Perfect. Now all I have to do is approach carefully…should be able to take its head, or at least…_

Jaune ducked, and rolled to the side, feeling the wind from the beast's attack pass over his head.

 _That son of a... CALM._

He ordered himself.

Jaune rolled back to his feet, drawing black sword, and stared at his opponent. It was on all fours now - and still towered over him.

 _ **Look. See**_ _._ The words of his master echoed in his mind.

Jaune barely had time to catch his balance when the beast lunged at him, forcing another dodge roll. This time Jaune found better footing as he reached his feet, so when beast come at him for a third time - he was ready. His black blade caught its arm just below the elbow, and even though he didn't manage to cut it off - damn bone plates got in the way - he still scored a deep cut.

 _About 4,5 meters high - must be very old. No apparent crippling injuries - assume full fighting capability. Numerus wound marks on the arms and lower torso. Almost none at the upper or head._

He ducked under a clumsy backhand, and scored another deep cut - this time on the creature's chest.

 _ **Understand.**_

* * *

It tried to crush him with both hands, but he wasn't there anymore. It looked around, trying to find puny human who dared to challenge it in its own lair - only to catch glimpse of something darker than darkness of the cave moving towards it.

A hastily raised paw stopped the blade from biting into its neck - but there was nothing to stop it from separating said paw from the rest of the arm.

Beast let out a howl of pain - and challenge.

The intruder accepted it.

It tried to squash him - but he dodged and cut deep into the arm.

It tried to bite - but had to pull back when black blade slashed towards its neck.

It continued like that for few moments. The beast grew angrier and angrier - how could this puny human damage it so much? It wanted to kill him, to rend, and tear, and bite, and maul soft, warm flesh. To taste his fear and pain.

The only pain it tasted for now was its own - and it received another serving when the black sword pierced through its hind leg. It lashed out with its healthy paw - only to hit nothing but air, and earn another deep wound on the torso.

It was furious. It wanted to jump at intruder, to crush him - but it didn't. It had survived for a long time, and learned to watch, to observe, to adapt.

The intruder was slippery, and his black blade sharp and fast. So far every attack was dodged, and led to a new injury.

So it wouldn't attack. It will defend and wait - and when intruder will get inpatient it will strike and kill.

It raised it arms to cover head, it bowed a little to cover its torso. It started backing towards the wall - the intruder would have to come from the front. Then it would kill him.

It earned several more cuts - some deep - but its back finally hit the wall. Now to let the intruder attack.

It fell to one knee - on the wounded leg. It wasn't that serious a wound, but intruder would attack when he saw the opportunity - then it would kill him.

There! He is coming from the left - the same side as its injured leg. Now it would kill him, it would tear and rend, and taste his blood!

The beast lashed out with its arm - and the unprepared intruder couldn't dodge in time. Its claw buried itself in his flesh…

* * *

 _It favors defense over offense._

Thought Jaune dodging claws going for his stomach and scoring another deep cut on the offending limb.

 _But it has limited vision when covering its head. It's attacks are strong, but slow._

He ducked under another swipe, stabbing towards its neck.

The beast's head jerked back, its right arm coming up to stop the blade. It pierced deeply, but the beast didn't seem to mind. It tried to counter with it's healthy paw, but Jaune had already retreated.

 _Will prioritize defending vitals, especially head, over everything else._

Another dodge, and another cut. A shallow one - but it would add up.

 _ **Plan.**_

 _Don't rush, I'm faster than it. Unless I make mistake it shouldn't be able to catch me. Can't afford to drag this out though - it won't tire, I will._

He ducked under another swing, and jumped back when beast tried to "hug" him.

 _Hit-and-run. Score as many hits as possible. Agitate it._

He buried his balde into beast armpit, before quickly retreating.

Jaune jumped back few more steps and looked at his opponent.

It was a mess.

His left leg was pierced - even though not too deeply, it was bound to reduce its mobility. Its right paw was cut off just above wrist. It's left arm was heavily wounded - Jaune was sure he could cut it off near the elbow with one good strike. And its whole body was covered with many cuts - some deep, some shallow, but all weakening the monster in front of him.

 _When agitated, provoke attack. Cripple it's leg, then arms. Go behind, and..._

The beast took a low stance, almost kneeling on the ground. It's torso bowed low, It's arms covering its head.

Jaune took deep breath and let it out slowly.

 _You just want to piss me off, don't you, doggy?_

Well, it didn't change anything. It was time to put last step of his teacher '5-step guide to fighting' into practice.

 _ **Kill.**_

* * *

How? How could it be?

The beast was furious. The human dodged its attacks - and had scored many more hits.

The beast was… feeling something new. It was weak now, but with every wound it grew stronger.

The beast didn't know what this feeling was, but it knew it didn't like it.

It was this human's fault - he needed to die. Then this feeling will go away.

For sure.

Yes, this intruder.. stumbled! There was its chance!

The beast lunged, its jaws spread wide, ready to finally taste flesh of this annoying human.

It tasted… cold.

* * *

 _And that wraps it up._

Thought Jaune, pulling his sword out of the creature's maw.

 _Stumble-and-stab. Works every time._

He smiled, turning towards exit.

 _Never expected to see Grimm that favors defense over offense. Or one that tries to bait you._

 _Heh, you did well for a Grimm, Doggy... I'd say 6/10._

Now that he was done, he could finally go out of this damn cave, and..

He hit the wall on the opposite side of room.

 _What?! How?! But I…_

While his brain took on the monumental task of making some sense of the situation, his body took care of more mundane things, like hurting, aching, and hurting some more.

Oh, and keeping him alive.

Jaune dodged the next swipe on pure instinct, then rolled, to make more space between him and his attacker. Managing to push himself he looked ahead - straight at the Grimm he just killed.

 _That's… not good._

He made to attack, but a sudden crack caught his attention. He looked down when another crack sounded - just in time to see growing fissure where he was standing.

 _Oh, for fucks sake!_

He tried to jump to safety. He almost made it. Almost.

When he was falling, he couldn't help to noticed how smug the beast looked.

And how bright its eyes shone in darkness of the cave.

Green eyes.

 _Fuck._

Was his last thought before his head hit rock, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Cr00cy: Well here it is. I wonder how many of you guessed what crossover it is?**

 **Anyway on subject of Jaune's semblance. After a lot of talking it out with JJD I decided to let Jaune have his semblance unlocked - and stick to cannon one. But since we don't know much about it - I have to improvise a bit. So since in the show Jaune said that he didn't heal Weiss - but rather strengthened her Aura to heal her, I will go with that. He will be able to boost certain properties of Aura - like make it "harder" to block an attack, increase its healing factor, diminish the effects of toxins he might get affected with, or boost positive effects of medicines. It's the latter two that allows him to safely (well, mostly) use elixirs.**

 **Oh and if you wonder how Jaune's little trip to Silver Lake went - read the omake.**

 **JJD: I'm disappointed in all of you if no one picks up on the joke names.**

* * *

 **Omake: "Family business"**

Jeffrey Falcon slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, he had killer headache, and his arms and legs didn't move properly. He tried to focus, but it was hard.

 _What happened…_ he tried to recall what made him feel so terrible.

He went on date with that brunette with the nice ass. What was her name again? Claudie? Cristin? Something starting from 'c' anyway. He had been working on her for a week now, and was certain he would be able to… "reap fruits of his labor" rather soon.

 _Heh, that's why I like country chicks. They are so easy…_

Ok, the date went well, but what happened next… Ah yes he went to grab some drinks, maybe scout out a new target. Then this blond guy came over. They started to talk… but he couldn't recall about what.

He noticed some of blurrs moving. They took a vaguely humanoid shape. He opened his mouth to speak… or at least tried to. It turned out his mouth didn't worked properly either - it felt like it was stuffed with something. The blurry shape moved close to him and spoke.

"Finally woken up, huh?"

He vaguely recognized the voice. But from where - he had no idea. Suddenly he could smell a herbal scent. The blobs of color in front of him spoke again.

"Breath deeply. This will make you feel better."

He did as he was told, and sure enough, the headache started to go away and his vision became more focused.

"Hello again Jeffrey." Said the blond boy in front of him. The same one who walked up to him in the bar. He was smiling, but somehow it didn't put him at ease.

He wanted to ask him what happened, but still couldn't. He tried to move, to do anything, but couldn't. A second later he realized a few things - very worrying things.

They were in the forest.

The only source of light was a small campfire nearby.

All his clothing except his underwear was gone.

He was tied to the tree and gagged.

The boy in front of him had a very sharp looking sword in his hand.

Jeffrey gulped. This was looking very bad.

"You know Jeffy… I can call you Jeffy right?" Jeffrey noded. "Great. So, I'll have to apologize to you Jeffy. I usually make more preparations for this kind of stuff. But unfortunatly I'm on scheudle here - had job in Vale, and have to be back before eight for meeting with another client. So unfortunately our talk will be bit rushed."

Jeffrey tried to say he wouldn't mind if the blond boy went to Vale to meet whoever he was supposed to meet, and come back to this 'talk' never.

"But where are my manners. I haven't introduced myself yet." The blond boy sat on log near the campfire.

"My name is Jaune Arc."

He pulled out photograph and threw it at Jeffrey feet. It featured him and some girl he vaguely recognized.

 _Isn't this… Rowin? Rebin?_ He couldn't recall the girl's name - not that it mattered. She was a bit too flat for his tastes, but was also so naive he was sure he could easily score with her.

 _Rubin! That was her name. Rubin A…_

He gasped in terror.

"You hurt my sister."

Jeffrey tried to free himself but rope he was tied with held strong.

"I hope you are prepared for the consequences."

Jaune rose from his seat and walked to Jeffrey, sword in hand.

"Tell me Jeffy, do you value tradition?"

He nodded desperately.

Jaune smile grew. Somehow this did nothing to stop the rising panic the tied teen felt.

"That's great! I do too." He sheathed sword and pulled out a very sharp looking knife. "It's great how we, civilized people, can easily come to an agreement, right?"

Jeffrey nodded again.

"Since we both like tradition, how about we solve this in a traditional way?" The blond boy asked, and, not waiting for any answer from his companion, continued.

"You see there was once this beautiful tradition here in Vale, that when guy was caught trying to… disrespect woman, they took him to the forest…" He spread his arms, as if to point that yes, they were in the forest.

"Gave such man sharp knife…" At this he put said tool into Jeffrey hand.

 _So what, he will say I'll have to free myself before Grimm find me, and never show myself here again? This might not be so bad…_

Jaune smile looked like the Devil might had when you just signed away your soul.

"And nailed said guy to tree by his balls. If he wanted to free himself - he had to cut them off."

Jeffrey started to struggle even more.

 _Things ARE bad. They are very, VERY bad!_

"Nowadays they don't nail it anymore…" Jaune said wishfully. Then he looked at his prisoner and smiled again. "But since we both like tradition so much we can bring this one back, right buddy?"

Jeffrey had stinking suspicion his answer didn't really matter.

"Unfortunately in all this hurry I forgot to bring hammer. So wait a bit for me, ok?"

As soon as Jaune walked out of sight Jeff started cutting ropes that bound him.

 _Like hell I'm going to wait, you psycho! I'm getting the hell out of here!_

A few moments later he was free. The only problem was that he was not sure which way safety lay.

He looked around for a few moments and noticed lights between the trees. Unfortunately, they lay in the same direction the Arc went.

 _Not like I have much choice. Gotta get to my hotel room, grab my things and leave this shithole._

When he reached outskirts of town he paused. He could see the landing platform for bullheads from where he was. Maybe it would be better to just grab some clothes there, and pay someone to fy him out of here. Then he recalled he didn't have any money on him.

He turned back towards the city - and fell when a root caught his foot. When he got up, someone was standing in front of him. He couldn't see much because of the darkness - but he could see a pair of blue eyes.

Panic froze him in place.

"Hey kid, you a'right? Ya not look well."

Jeffrey nearly collapsed from realief. This was a different voice, and silhouette he could make out in the darkness, was bigger than Jaune.

"Y-yeh.. Some guy kidnaped me and tied me to the tree! He took all my clothes and threatened he would nail me to the tree!"

The man in front of him laughed.

"Eh, don't ya worry city-boy. S'me folks 'ust played with ya a bit."

"They played by kidnaping me, and tying me to tree in the middle of the forest?! What if Grimm would have found me?!"

Man laughed again.

"T'ere's no Grimm a'ound 'ere boy. So many retired 'unters, they cull any that shows up."

Jeffrey started to calm down. The man motioned for him to follow, and they started to walk towards the airport.

"Come 'ere city-boy. I'll give ya some spare clothes."

"So, this was just some prank? Still a bit extreme…"

They closed on the Bullhead docks and he could now see his companion more cleary. He was older man, probably in his mid forties. He had brown hair, muscular body, and a pair of dog ears.

 _Good, that Arc guy was definitely human, so they are probably not related…_

"Ya prolly hit on wrong lasse… S'mes sister, or 'omething."

"Yah, he said something like that."

The man laughed.

" 'appens all the time a'ound 'ere. City-folk comes, thinks he can hit 'ometing easy. And folk 'ere are mostly 'unters, so they can get rough… But no one will kill ya, so relax."

They made they way to a small boulding near landing platform. The older man pointed to a sofa for him to sit, and started rummaging through lockers in one corner.

"So who was it?"

Jeffrey looked at him quizzically.

"That lasse who ya get in t'oble for?

"Rubin A…" A big, slightly dirty hand clamped over his mouth. A look of panic on his companion's face stopped him from complaining.

"Ya, hit on lil Rubin?!" He hissed. Jeffrey nodded.

"And Arc caught ya? How'd ya get out alive?!"

 _Wait, what did he mean by that? Didn't he say it was just prank?!_

The older man removed his hand and looked around nervously.

"Never 'ought old Arthur would let someone walk away… Ya one lucky 'astard, kid."

"Arthur? Guy who got me said his name was Jaune."

His companion looked at him for few seconds. Then he jumped to the wall, turned off the lights. Then went and closed the curtains over all windows.

"Ya need to run! Old Arthur would let it go, but Jaune…" He shuddered "He likes to see 'em run. He won't let go, boy's more vicious than a Beowolf!"

Jeffrey could feel his panic come back - twice as strong.

"Lisen ladde - I'll fly to Vale in just a bit. I can put ya in cargo - would be rough ride, but ya'll live."

Jeffrey just nodded and followed the older man. It looked like it was his only chance to get out of here alive…

* * *

 _And that wraps it up…_ Though Jaune, observing his newest buddy following the other man to hangar.

 _Too bad I couldn't 'talk' with him more... But that will have to do._

He stretched and started walking towards the plane that would take him back to Vale.

 _Damn I wish I could visit home. But there is no way the girls would let me go so fast._

He shrugged and tried to find some comfortable place to sit between the cargo of starting plane.

* * *

Jeffrey walked into box his companion pointed to. It was long and narrow - he had to lay down to fit. But it was surprisingly comfortable inside - instead of hard wood, he laid on something soft. The clothing he got was nice too - not some worker rags, but a rather nice suit.

 _What are the odds I'd meet a pilot transporting supplies for one of the most famous clothing stores in Vale?_ He thought. It was too dark to see anything - the pilot explained boxes here were supposed to be already checked, so they couldn't turn the lights on, so as to not draw any attention.

"Ya never know when Arcs are watching." He said. This sounded just a bit too paranoid for Jeffrey. But after his last encounter with the family - he was willing to accept it.

 _But I wonder.. What are these boxes?_ He thought before his savior closed the lid over him.

* * *

 _And that wraps it up…_ though Hoff Tagar. His brother Jeff called informing him the young Arc would be in the city to have a 'talk' with some city-boy. And that Grandmother wanted to see him after Jaune was done.

 _I almost feel sorry for ya, kid._

He sat in pilot chair, relaxing before the long flight

 _At least ya already packed…_ He thought, seeing as workers started to load his cargo. He wondered how they would react if they found out one of the coffins already had an occupant.


	5. Old Friends, New Friends

**Welcome to ch 4 of TPA! Like always JJD mercilessly hunted down all my grammar mistakes.**

* * *

 **CH 4: Old Friends, New friends.**

 _There was only fire. It washed over him, and underneath him and covered everything. The only thing he could feel was the intense heat. The only thing he could see were the bright red and orange flames. And a female figure in the center of this inferno. She reached one hand towards him, and opened her mouth to speak._

 _But the voice he heard did not come from her - but from the flames. It surrounded him, just like fire, and burned even hotter. Only three words. But they hurt more than any wound._

" _You are late."_

* * *

Jaune Arc woke up with a gasp. It took him a few seconds to recall where he was, why he couldn't see a thing, and why every part of his body hurt like hell.

He started to push away the rocks that had fallen on top of him, then pushed himself to a sitting position, one hand covering his face. His skin felt hot - the effect of the dream he just had.

 _Hadn't had that one in few weeks… Why now?_

He stood up, and had to lean against the wall when his vision swam.

 _Probably all that talk on bullhead about graduation stirring up old memories…_

Heartshatter Ridge was supposed to be just a single stop on his journey back to Vale. Just a place to get something to eat, and a chance to sleep under a roof. A conversation overheard in the local pub had changed all that.

 _Ok, no time for that._ He thought, recalling what had happened.

 _So I fought that Gri- Harrowed… the damn floor cracked open, and I fell. Must have gotten knocked out when I hit my head. I wonder why it didn't finish me?_

The answer became obvious when he looked up.

 _Looks like the hole was too small for it._

He looked around. The hole he fell through was rather small, and damp, courtesy of several small streams running through it.

 _Well, looks like only way out is to climb. Guess it's better that way - I'd rather backtrack, than wander around in an unknown cave._

It wasn't a long climb - only 5 meters or so. The walls were slippery, but he didn't have too much trouble finding support for his legs and hands.

 _Now the big question - is it waiting for me up there?_

When Jaune almost reached edge of hole he fell through, he paused to catch his breath. And listen. After a few seconds of hearing only the sound of his own breathing, he considered his options.

 _I can't see much, the perception enhancer effects must be wearing off. So I better not wait too long - if that bastard is waiting for me, I'd prefer to not fight it blind._

He took a few deep breaths, grabbed the edge of hole, and pushed himself up, instantly rolling to the side. He jumped to his feet, sword at the ready, prepared to dodge an incoming attack.

He needn't have bothered - the room was empty.

Jaune spent some time looking around the cave. Nothing caught his interest - beside three corridors. One of them turned out to be dead end, the second lead deeper into cave.

 _So what now? Should I go further? Or should I go back and report to Ozpin? How long I was out anyway?_

In the end, Jaune decided to go back. He felt tired, and with the enhancer effect wearing off, he would need to take another to keep going. And that was risky - taking two strong elixirs one after another was bound to have some serious side effects.

The trip back took him a lot of time - he was extra careful to not run into any traps, even though the corridors were mostly narrow and relatively straight. When he was almost out of the cave, he pulled his scroll and called Ozpin.

""Yes Mr. Arc?"

"We have a problem." The older man just raised an eyebrow, so Jaune continued. "Found my target in this cave - it really was an Alpha Beowolf - quite a big one at that. It was very defensive, even tried to bait me into attacking. But beside that, there was nothing unusual about it - that is until I killed it."

"What happened then?"

"It got back up."

Ozpin looked genuinely surprised for once.

"It… got up?" Jaune nodded. Ozpin stared at him for few seconds, then shook his head.

"Pardon me Mr. Arc, but I have to ask. Are you sure the beast was dead?"

In any other situation Jaune would have felt offended by the question. Now he just took a deep breath and answered.

"I stabbed it in its maw, blade pierced its head, damaging the brain and spine - if it even had them. Anyway, I'm sure it was mortal wound - killed my fair share of Grimm that way. I even saw it starting to dissolve before turning back."

"So, it was Harrowed?"

Jaune nodded.

"Only explanation I can think of. But it didn't have any distinctive traits. It looked exactly like an Alpha Beowolf. It might have been responsible for it's strange behavior - if it boosted its intelligence, or survival instinct."

"So it was some type of Aberration…"

"Yes, but not any that I've heard of. A Parasite-type would deform it heavily, plus it wouldn't be able to keep it alive after an attack like that. Larva would burst out after it's death, and attack me… Puppeteer would cling to its back or head, so I would have noticed…. It might be some smaller version…"

"You sure there was nothing unusual about its appearance? Something we might identify it by?"

"No… Wait." Jaune paused. He felt like he was forgetting something. Something he saw, something unusual. Just before he fell...or maybe when he was already falling? Something was there, right in front of his…

"Eyes…"

"Excuse me?" asked Ozpin.

"Its eyes - they were green. But I'm almost sure they were red until I 'killed' it."

Ozpin considered it for a few seconds.

"I see…" He said finally. "Consider your mission over, Mr. Arc. I'll forward you coordinates for your extraction. You will be taken to Beacon, and after a medical check-up, I will expect a more detailed report."

"What about the Harrowed?"

"We will discuss the matter when we meet."

"Understood."

It took him only 20 minutes to reach the designated location. The trip was uneventful - save for a single Ursa, that had the courtesy to act like a Grimm should - that is to charge at him without care for its own life, and stay dead after Jaune decapitated it.

There were no Bullhead in sight when he arrived, so Jaune sat under tree, closed his eyes, and started to analyze the fight in the cave.

 _Could I have missed somehow? No, I could feel blade pass through its skull. I could see it start to dissipate…didn't I? It's hard to say for sure, but I'm sure I saw some kind of smoke flow from its body. Did I miss something that would hint at it being Harrowed? I don't think so - the only thing out of norm was its behavior. And its eyes - but that was only after I killed its host… But none of the control-type Aberrations that I know of could move a dead body AND not leave any visible marks…_

Jaune starting massaging his temple.

"Ok, let's start from beginning." He said a loud sigh this time.

"Am I sure there were no physical traits suggesting it was Harrowed?" He paused to think about it for few seconds.

"Yes. It looked exactly like Alpha Beowolf. If there were anything unusual about it, it looks like it was so small that I couldn't spot it."

"So what was unusual? It's behavior - it clearly preferred to go solo. It fought very defensively. It marked its territory." Jaune paused at this. Its territory… there was something about it… Well besides the fact that most Grimm don't _have_ territory.

His eyes widened.

"That's right! There were no Grimm in its territory. I didn't check all of it, but it wasn't that big… and I wandered for quite a bit in there. And there was no sign of any Grimm."

That was another confirmation it was Harrowed. Little known fact was that, for some reason, Grimm and Harrowed avoided each other. Grimm would usually avoid entering Harrowed territory, and Harrowed usually avoided nesting in areas with high Grimm population.

Sadly this didn't give any hints on _what_ kind of Harrowed it was.

Jaune sighed. This was going nowhere.

"Whatever it was, it looked just like an Alpha Beowolf…"

And then it struck him. It _looked_ like an Alpha Beowolf.

"What if this wasn't some control-type Harrowed, but rather a shape-shifting one? I've never heard of anything like that - but that doesn't mean one couldn't have been hiding somewhere. Maybe the smoke I was seeing was it just changing its form, or maybe it just did it to distract me."

Any other musings were interrupted by the roar of bullhead engines. A few moments later, the machine landed in the clearing Jaune was waiting in.

The flight to Beacon was short one. When he left the bullhead, he immediately was approached by the blond woman who had accompanied Ozpin earlier.

"Welcome back Mr. Arc," she said extending her hand, which he took. "I'm Glynda Goodwitch," she introduced herself.

 _Heh, called it. I wonder if she knows she's giving all the male students complexes...probably._

"Headmaster is currently occupied with the welcome ceremony for students. He will be available in about half an hour. In the meantime, please come with me for a medical check-up."

Jaune made to protest, but thought better of it. If they wanted to give him free medical attention, who was he to argue?

The check ups didn't lasted long - nurse said he was fine, but low on Aura. She mentioned the unusual coloration of his pupils, and traces of some strange substances in his blood. He hurried to assure it was just side-effect of his semblance.

 _Gotta love that excuse. No matter how strange the shit you do is, people will accept it as soon as you say "semblance."_

After the check ups, Glynda led him through the corridors of Beacon to the tallest tower in campus. They entered the elevator, and soon, Jaune was looking at the Headmaster of Beacon's office.

It was quite impressive. Spacious, albeit sparsely decorated. The big desk sitting near the wall-high windows giving a nice view of Vale.

Oh and cogs. Lots, and lots of cogs. Both the floor and ceiling were covered in some see-through material, and underneath it, Jaune could see multiple cogs of various sizes. When Glynda led him to the desk, and pointed to one of chairs for him to sit, he noticed that the desktop was also filled with cogs too. They all moved constantly, letting out a sound not dissimilar that of a clock.

 _It's like I'm inside gigantic… clock? Some kind of machine anyway. I wonder if all these cogs do something, or if they are just for decoration._

A few moments later, the Headmaster entered the room. They greeted each other, and after a few pleasantries, Ozpin asked for a detailed report of Jaune's mission.

He started from the moment he left bullhead, mentioning again the marks his target left at the edges of its territory. He added his observations on the high population of Grimm outside of it, and the complete lack of any sign of them inside.

"Interesting…" said Ozpin after Jaune concluded his report with his earlier assumption - that it might be a shape-shifting Harrowed.

"Have you ever encountered a similar Harrowed?" The older man asked.

Jaune shook his head.

"No, I haven't even heard of one. Tried to contact my teacher, but he was out of range for scroll communication."

"Are you sure it wasn't a control-type?"

Jaune shook his head again.

"I can't say anything for certain. Only that it didn't look like any Harrowed I know of. Plus it's behavior was unusual even for a Harrowed - it's true they are more intelligent than Grimm, but this one… it was far too clever, and too defensive. They usually are more aggressive, especially if you wound them. They start to run only if they're seriously injured or outnumbered."

"I see…" The Headmaster seemed to consider something for few seconds. "Well, we can't do anything about it for now. I'll send a few Hunters in the forest to try and track it, but ever since your report, we haven't catch even a glimpse of it on any of our cameras." He pushed his glasses up on his face. "Now, let's discuss other matters."

Ozpin took a long sip from mug he was holding, then spoke again.

"As I said, we watched your performance - and I must say that I am quite impressed. While it is a shame we couldn't see you fight more formidable opponents than a few Beowolves, and a single Ursa, what we saw is enough to allow you attend initiation."

Jaune just nodded.

 _YYEEEESSSSSS!_

"As such you will join rest of the students in the ballroom. You will spend night there, and then join the rest of the students on the Beacon cliffs tomorrow mooring. Please take this," he said, handing Jaune a black scroll with a Beacon logo on it.

"This scroll will have all the required information sent to it - a map of Beacon, lesson schedule, and so on. It will also serve as a key to your dorm when you get assigned one. It has a few other functions as well - all of them are listed in the "Student's Guide" folder. Any questions?"

"No… I don't think so" said Jaune.

 _Holy shit, I'm about to go to Beacon!_

"Very well. Please follow Miss Goodwitch - there are some formalities you have to see to. And Mr. Arc?" Jaune, who was already turning towards door looked back to the older man. "Welcome to Beacon." He said extending his hand.

Jaune shook it, and this time didn't fight the smile that appeared on his lips.

* * *

Glynda led him to a small room labeled as the "staff room." It looked like a normal office - a few bookshelves, two chairs, and a simple desk.

"First of all, allow me to congratulate you Mr. Arc." She said when they both took they seats. "It's not everyday we accept someone in such an… unusual matter."

Jaune just smiled and thanked her for the compliment. Glynda handed him few forms to fill and sign on. He did so - after reading them carefully.

" _Never sign paper you haven't read and understood, that's how you lose your damn soul,"_ was one of first lessons his teacher had taught him.

"Very well. There is just one more matter we have to discuss." She said after taking the papers from him. "All our students have their own lockers assigned to them, where they store their battle equipment. Unfortunately, due to your rather sudden acceptance, we don't have one ready for you just yet. That's why I have to ask you to hand over your weapons."

Jaune tensed, his hand falling to the hilt of Crocea Mors. Handing your weapons over was usually ill-advised in his line of work.

 _It's ok Jaune. Calm down. No one is going to attack you. It's just safety measure. Bunch of hormonal teenergers with superpowers and combat training bundled in an enclosed space is bad enough - no sane person would add weapons to the mix. So calm down, stop staring at her as if you planning to murder her, and hand your weapons over. Oh, and stop planning how to murder her while you're at it._

After a few deep breaths, he let go of the weapon, and stopped analyzing how to best act if the woman in front of him attacked. It took him several more to hand both of his swords to Glynda.

Judging by how she smiled at him, she knew exactly what was going through his head - and was used to it.

After he left Glynda in her office, he made his way to the cafeteria, grabbed something to eat, and then made his way to ballroom. He was grinning the whole way.

 _This is happening!_ He thought.

 _This is really happening. I'm going to Beacon. I'm AT Beacon. There is still initiation to pass, but it can't be worse than some of the shit Leon put me through._

Jaune grinned even harder when he stood at the door to the ballroom.

 _Beacon, here I come!_

He pushed door open, and entered the room.

* * *

Yang turned her head as she caught sight of someone entering the ballroom, and spotted him.

Jaune Arc, still dressed in full combat armor, looking as awkward as can be.

 _That's the bartender from the Rest, what's he doing here? He never mentioned coming to Beacon._

The boy's eyes darted around the room, taking in the mass assembly of Hunters-to-be.

 _God, he looks nervous. I wonder why he's so late? Did he take some other kind of exam to get in?_

The knight shuffled his way around the other students and muttered apologies as he went.

Suddenly, watching the young knight, inspiration struck her. She knew how to kill two birds with one stone.

"Hey Ruby, there's someone I want you to meet." She exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't know Yang, I kinda just want to-GAH!" Ruby yelped as her sister grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

The weaved through the other students till they reached the tall blond.

"Hey there Ladykiller!" She grinned at the boy. "Long-time no see."

He smiled back at her. "How's it going Yang, still causing trouble?"

She placed a hand over her chest in mock flattery. "So, you do remember me! It's just that you don't call, you don't write...a girl doesn't give her scroll number to everyone, you know?"

"Oh...it's just, uh...I've been staying busy. Haven't really had time to talk to anybody." He tried to explain.

"Oooohhhh, still rocking that man of mystery vibe, huh? I like it."

 _Dammit, where's Mai when I need her!_ He thought.

"Yaaannngggg." A voice behind the beautiful blond called. "Did you drag me over here just to watch you flirt with this guy."

Jaune leaned to the side so he could peak around Yang, and saw a very young looking, very short red-head standing uncomfortably behind her.

 _How old is she?_

"Oh, hello there." He offered.

She gave him a nervous smile and a small wave. "Hey."

"Jaune, I'd like you to meet my little sister Ruby." She wrapped the younger girl in a hug and began tossing her from side to side. "Isn't she just adorable!?"

"Yang! Let go!" Ruby cried as she pushed off her sister. "You're embarrassing me!"

Jaune chuckled at their antics, thinking about his own sisters. "Trust me Ruby, it never gets better."

Yang elbowed the younger girl. "Guess how many sisters he has?"

"Um, three?"

The knight sighed. "Seven."

"SEVEN!?" The girl exclaimed.

"Yep." He confirmed.

Yang just laughed, and threw an arm around the boy. "So, you know he's house-trained at this point. Also, makes a mean Strawberry Sunrise." She pointed a finger at her sister. "These are important traits in a man Ruby. In ten to fifteen years, when you have my permission to date, they're things you should look for."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks mom."

"Thanks...I guess?" Jaune said.

Yang thumped him on the chest. "No problem, tall, blond, and mysterious. Why are you loaded for bear anyway?"

Jaune looked down his armor. "How did you know it was Bear HIDE?"

Yang looked like she was about to ask him a question, before an excited voice cut in.

"OH. MY. GOD. You have HIDE armor!?" The young redhead shouted.

There was an explosion of rose petals as Ruby disappeared, and began zipping around Jaune, poking and prodding his armor as she went.

"Ruby you need to calm down! We're not supposed to be walking around right now!" Yang admonished.

The younger girl bounced up in down in place. "I'm sorry, but I've only ever read about it!"

Yang sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but...what is HIDE armor?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Her sister said with a grin. "HIDE is High Impact Distribution Equipment. It's Atlas tech, but NO ONE outside of Atlas Specialist have it." She excitedly pointed at Jaune's armor. "See the plates he's wearing on his chest and arms? It's an insanely strong alloy, and beneath those is a scale and fiber-mesh weave that distributes the impact of anything - bullets, Grimm claws, blades - across the body. I've even heard that it assist with Aura distribution, easing the wear on the user!"

Jaune smiled at the hyper girl. "It does. You've got quite an eye. This is the Bear variant. There's four total that I know about. Cat, the infiltration variant - Wolf, light infantry type - Bear, if you get hit too much like me, and need a little something extra - and Gryphon, which is some real end of the world, shock trooper type stuff."

"That's so cool!"

Yang rolled her eyes and muttered. "Nerds."

Ruby ignored her. "Where'd you get it?"

"I did some...contracting work for the SDC a while back, and did pretty well I guess. They ended up giving me the set as a bonus after I completed the job." He explained.

He thought he saw Ruby wince a little at the mention of the SDC.

Yang whistled. "Look at you, high paying job and fancy duds, trying to impress the ladies." She waved a finger in his face. "Just know that Ruby's off limits."

 _God she moves fast, this is exhausting._

"Right." He said slowly. "I'm not really looking at the moment, so I think we'll be ok."

She smirked. "Got your eye on someone already, huh?"

"Yeah." The answer left his mouth before he could think about it.

She winked at him. "Then you should return those scroll calls."

 _What. Is. Happening!?_

A strict voice saved him from himself.

"Student candidates!" A stern-looking blond woman with glasses and a short cape called. "It's lights out."

"Sorry ma'am." He responded, and began following the sisters over to the sleeping area.

Yang nudged him as they walked. "He's got manners too? Mr. Professional over here..."

He sighed, shook his head, and made a beeline for an open spot on the wall.

Yang turned back to her sister as he walked away. "What'd you think Rubes?"

"He seems nice!" The younger girl said excitedly as she settled into her sleeping bag.

Yang laid back and smiled contently.

Ruby had just made her first friend at Beacon.

* * *

 _Ok Jaune, deep breaths. Everything is ok, no one is going to attack you. This is the most prestigious school in Vale, not some run-down inn in some shithole of civilization. No one will try to rob you, or kill you, or rape you, or all three at the same time. So just calm down._

Was what Jaune was saying to himself after finding a quiet spot in the corner, with his back to wall, a good view on doors, and as many windows as possible. Coming back to civilisation after long trips to the Wilds always required an adjustment period. He usually was ok with his family and friends, but standing in middle of a crowd unarmed always made him nervous. Doubly so if said crowd was gathered in an enclosed space, or contained trained fighters.

After calming himself down a bit, Jaune took stock of his surrounding. It was getting late, and most people were either asleep, or lying in they sleeping bags chatting quietly with friends. He didn't had any sleepwear, but it didn't bothered him. He used to sleep in worse conditions, and his armor was far more comfortable than people thought.

His eyes drifted back to Yang and her sister. That was a surprising encounter - though it probably shouldn't have be. After all, the blond bombshell did mentioned she was huntress-in-training. And her sister was, in fact, adorable.

 _Heh, she reminds me of Rubin. Just as adorable as her. But I think she is even more energetic…_

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

 _And dangerous._

Yes, Ruby Rose was most definitely a dangerous person. Everyone in this room was - but she was younger than anyone here, and she still got accepted to Beacon.

 _I wonder how she fights? She has rather small body, even for someone her age. Probably relies on speed and agility… What weapon would she use? Some type of polearm? It would give her range, and if she is quick enough on her feet, she could stay out of harm's way. With such delicate build, I doubt she could take too many hits. That's not counting her semblance - whatever it is._

He looked over several more people, trying to guess their fighting styles and weapons. This was a little mental game he was used to playing. He might not be able to accurately guess every time, but it was making him better at reading people.

His little game came to an end when the lights were turned off.

 _Oh well, I guess it's time to sleep. Not a bad idea either - it was a long day, and it would be embarrassing as hell if I failed initiation._

He closed his eyes, and sleep found him almost instantly. Thankfully, it was a dreamless one..

* * *

Jaune awoke at dawn. He looked around, noticing most of the students were still sleeping. After some brief consideration, he decided to visit the cafeteria.

After a light meal, he wandered around Beacon for a bit. He visited Glynda's office, hoping he could get his weapons back, but it was closed. Instead he decided to make a call.

He found himself a nice place under a tree in Beacon' gardens and selected the number. They picked up almost instantly.

"Hi Tob."

"Hey Jaune, what's up? I heard you had some trouble with your job?"

 _Of course he heard._

"Yeah, some strange Harrowed showed up. But I'm fine, no need to worry."

"So where are you staying? Mei was quite worried when you didn't come home last night."

"At Beacon. Turns out Leon pulled some favors, and convinced Ozpin to give me a chance to apply outside of the normal system."

"Really? That's surprising"

 _Like hell it is. You had part in it too, you Old Bear, I'm sure of it._

"Yeah, anyway, I'm here, waiting for initiation to start. Decided to call, since I woke up early."

"Rough night?"

"Not more than usual, when I'm coming back from Wilds. Was a bit tense when they took my weapons, but it wasn't that bad."

"Good to hear. Want to talk to Mei?"

Jaune almost said yes. Almost.

"Maybe later, after initiation. I have only like half an hour before it starts, and I still need grab my swords."

"Ok, but make sure you call. She was worried about you."

"Sure thing. See you later Tob."

"Later, Jaune."

He ended the call, and made to walk back to Glynda's office. The buzzing of his scroll stopped him. He opened it and noticed one new message - from Glynda no less. It turned out his weapons were placed in locker. The message also contained the number and access code for said locker.

 _Well, that saves me a trip to her office. Off to the locker room it is then._

* * *

The locker room wasn't hard to find - all he needed to do was follow the crowd. As soon as he entered, Ruby appeared before him in cloud of rose petals, gushing over his HIDE armor. He noticed she was armed already - but couldn't make out what kind of weapon it was. He almost asked. Thankfully, he noticed Yang frantically shaking her head. He looked back to the very excited girl before him, recalled her reaction to his armor and put two and two together.

"Sorry Ruby, it was nice talking to you, but I still have to get my weapons."

"Oh… ok." She deflated a bit, but perked up soon after. "What weapons do you use anyway? Can we…" thankfully he was rescued from the over-enthusiastic girl by Yang, who started to wheel her off in the other direction. He nodded in thanks and went to look for his locker.

 _It should be around…_ He paused when he noticed a pair of girls - one white-haired and wearing a dress just as white, other red-haired and clad in what looked to be bronze armor. He recognized one of the girls instantly.

 _Well, beats me. What are the odds of meeting her here? Can't pass up this chance._

Smiling, he marched towards her.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos sighed internally. So far Beacon was… not what she hoped. Sure, there was less people here who recognized her instantly, and gushed over her fame, but they were definitely still there.

She focused back on girl in front of her. Weiss Schnee didn't even try to hide the fact that she was approaching her because of her fame. And skill. Pyrrha appreciated her honesty - the heiress wanted to make strong team because she liked to excel. But it wasn't what Pyrrha wanted. She wanted to be on a team that saw Pyrrha Nikos, not the four time tournament champion.

 _Maybe I'm approaching it the wrong way? If I join up with someone famous, they won't care about my fame that much, right?_

She noticed some movement behind heiress' back and looked up - just in time to see a blond haired boy looking at them. He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition.

Pyrrha winced internally.

 _Great, another fan. I wonder what he will do. Ask for autograph? Brag about his skill? I hope he won't try to hit on me, that would be embarrassing._

The boy was now walking towards her, a confident smile on his lips.

 _At least it doesn't look like he will be the aggressive type._

Pyrrha put on her well-practiced smile, and prepared to be as polite as possible. Afterall, it wasn't his fault she was famous. It was normal to want to talk to your idol when you saw them. Maybe if he turned out to be nice she could…

"Hi, there W _ice_."

Pyrrha blinked.

Weiss Schnee whipped around.

"J-Jaune?"

The blond boy, now named Jaune, smiled.

"One and the same, Snow Angel."

Weiss shook her head.

"I told you to not call me that, you dunce."

It was at this moment Pyrrha realized he wasn't there to talk to her…

"My sincere apologies." He said with a mock bow. "I was just wondering what Your Snowness is doing in place like this, mingling with plebeians?"

"Oh my, is it so hard to figure out why a Huntress-in-training comes to combat academy?" She smirked at him. "Has your intellect dropped even further since last time we met?"

Wasn't even _looking_ at her.

"Nah, just surprised to see Ice Princess so far from her domain. Or..." he narrowed his eyes, "did you take my advice?"

 _Could it be?_ Thought Pyrrha.

"Hmph. What possible advice could a caveman like you could give me that would have any merit?" She made a show of turning her nose up at him.

Pyrrha gasped at that. This.. Jaune? Was quite nice, bar the strange nicknames. Why was Weiss so rude…

"I just decided some change of scenery would be nice. And to show people in Vale that a Schnee can excell anywhere".

"Oh, I'm sorry your Royal Iceness. Allow this simple caveman to crawl back under his rock." said Jaune bowing his head.

Weiss raised her chin, pulled her lips, and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"I shall allow this."

There was moment of silence. Pyrrha tried her best to figure out what the hell was happening in front of her. Just as she was ready to speak up for boy's sake, both he and the heiress burst into laughing.

"It's good to see you again Jaune." Said Weiss, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Likewise. But seriously, what are you doing here? Beside pestering people?" He said, nodding towards Pyrrha.

The heiress gasped.

Pyrrha steeled herself.

 _Moment of truth. He didn't paid any attention to me earlier, but that might be because he saw an old friend._

"I'm so sorry!" Said Weiss turning back to her. "Allow me to introduce," she pointed towards smiling boy in front of her "Jaune Arc - he is an old friend of mine. Jaune - this is Pyrrha Nikos. I'm sure you've heard of her."

 _Please, be 'no'._

"Of course I have!" He said, shifting nervously.

Pyrrha could feel a small spark of hope that blossomed in her chest wither away and die.

Weiss stared at boy for a few seconds, then sighed.

"You have no idea of who she is, do you?"

 _Please be yes, please be yes…_

Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No…"

 _YES! YES! YES!_

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, not noticing Pyrrha's pleading gaze.

 _Don't say anything, please, just dont say anything, don't ruin this for me. Oh please, I beg you don't…_

"She won the Mistralian regional tournament."

Boy looked at her with vague interest.

"Oh. You must be pretty good."

"Four times in row."

"Oh. You must be very good."

Pyrrha was cheering internally.

Weiss looked determined to find _something_ that would make the boy recognize the world-wide know celebrity in front of him.

"Her face is on every Pumpkins Pete's flakes box."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, I know those. My younger sisters love them."

Heiress stared at him for few moments, then just sighed.

"Why am I even trying…"

She turned to Pyrrha.

"My apologies. Jaune spends a lot of time in… less civilized parts of Remnant. And is not biggest fan of… entertainment fighting."

"Hey, that's not true. It's just that I don't believe being successful in tournaments means one is a good Hunter..."

He looked at Pyrrha.

"No offense."

She smiled.

"None taken. I too believe there is much difference between fighting someone in arena, and fighting Grimm."

"Speaking of fighting… could you please move a bit?"

Pyrrha looked at him quizzically.

"You're blocking my locker."

"Oh!" She jumped back few steps "I'm sorry!"

Jaune just smiled, and nodded. When he strapped his weapons to his waist, Pyrrha couldn't help but stare.

 _He uses...two swords?_ She narrowed her eyes. Dual Wielding people weren't rare, but it didn't look like Jaune was one of them.

 _One of them looks like an arming sword… but other is clearly a longsword. I'm sure he is strong enough to use it one-handed, but it wouldn't be too effective. Maybe he combines them into bow, or something like that?_

Her musings were interrupted by Glynda's voice announcing all first years should gather at Beacon's cliffs.

 _Oh well. I guess I'll find out when I see him in action._

Pyrrha smirked. She had this strange feeling she might end up on the same team as Jaune. After all, no one denied the goddess of victory.

* * *

The scenery was beautiful. The green of the forest was spread far and wide. A few towering mountains only added to to breathtaking view.

 _This… is actually quite nice._

Yes - beautiful view, nice weather, wind in his hair. All of this made Jaune feel at ease.

Despite the fact he was now flying at high speed over Grimm-infested forest - courtesy of Ozpin's launch pads. And he had no parachute.

 _Who the hell goes with this as initiation? Can you imagine if someone didn't have their Aura unlocked?_

He drew Crocea Mors and expanded his shield, raising it in front of him, in an effort to kill off his velocity. Soon more than just air started hitting it. Leaves, branches - at first small, then bigger ones. When he noticed one that was particular thick, he grabbed it instead, spun twice to kill off the rest of his momentum, and landed on top of it. Jaune quickly surveyed the area below him, and not noticing any threats, jumped down. He rolled, and jumped to his feet, sword and shield ready to meet any incoming attack.

None came.

After making sure nothing was going to attack him, he lowered his weapons and looked around.

 _Ozpin said relics are in the northern part of forest…_

His eyebrows furrowed. That was in the same direction as the Harrowed's territory. That was… actually a good idea. The Harrowed ran away - and that meant it most likely wouldn't come back to it's old lair. Even if it did, it seemed to be active mostly at night. Plus, there won't be that many Grimm there - they avoided Harrowed territories even for few months after one was gone.

Jaune relaxed and started marching north. The thought of some unknown Harrowed running around was still bothering him. Part of it was concern about how many people might fall victim to the monster.

The other was his personal pride. He took the contract, and failed to take down the target. Sure, technically he did kill it - after all, they talked about killing an Alpha Beowolf and he stabbed it through brain. Even the client himself had judged the contract to be completed. But still, it just didn't sit right with him.

It was his prey. And he failed to hunt it down.

The sound of an incoming call, caused him to stop. He pulled his scroll, and frowed when he noticed who was calling.

 _I wonder what he wants._

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Hello Jaune. Have you landed safely?"

"Yes"

"Can we talk?"

"Yes."

"Good. There was new development regarding your job yesterday. I thought you might be interested."

Jaune tensed.

"I'm listening."

"The team of Hunters sent out after your report failed to track down the beast. However this morning one of our professors went to the Emerald Forest for a routine patrol and encountered a Grimm that he believed might be the same you fought against. According to his report, the beast was surrounded in cloud of black smoke, was limping on its left leg, and was missing its right paw. He also mentioned the smoke it was surrounded with appeared to come out of wound on the back of its neck. I believe these are the wounds you inflicted on it?

"Yes. What happened to it?"

"The Hunter engaged it and managed to put it down. Since he was informed of your encounter, he remained on his guard. This paid off, since beast got up after few seconds and resumed its attack. It continued to fight even after extensive damage to its body, and every wound that normally would mean death just put it down for a few seconds. Even decapitation didn't stop its "resurrections." It stopped only after approximately 40% of its body was destroyed. It then remained still, and after around thirty seconds the Hunter noticed that smoke from the Harrowed did not disperse, rather its condensating into vaguely oval shape. It then retreated. Hunter wasn't able to chase it down. He opened fire on the target, but it was ineffective."

 _Ok, so it doesn't have a solid form. Probably can "infect" Grimm, or maybe somehow copy there form? Anyway it would be a pain to find it if the only hint is its strange behavior… "_

"Do you think it's still in the area?" Asked Jaune.

"Yes, I believe the chances are high."

"Do you want me to try and track it down?"

"No, focus on completing your initiation. But keep your eyes open. If you notice something worrying, call me or Miss Goodwitch, we will send help. But _only_ if its the Harrowed we speak of. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir. May I ask question?"

"Go ahead Mr Arc."

"What parts of its body were destroyed?"

Ozpin seemed to consider it for few seconds.

"I'll send you the photos made by Hunter in question. Anything else?

"Yes. Was ammo was used..."

Jaune asked few more questions. If he paid more attention to his surrounding, he might have noticed a pair of yellow eyes watching him.

* * *

 **Cr00cy :** **And here we go. Jaune succeed in securing a place in Beacon. And this time he did not have to resort to fake transcripts. It also turns out he has some pretty high-tech equipment. Thanks to JJD for coming up with decent name for it(he also wrote this whole scene).**

 **Some people asked why Jaune would want to go to Beacon. It will be addressed in future chapters. For now, l give simplest reason - he wanted to. There are others as well.**

 **Anyway, not much to talk about here - it was mostly a transition chapter. Next one will be initiation - and with it will come with some action. For now, please enjoy another Samantha short (written by JJD).**

 **Cr00cy: Do you want to try to write more Ya-**

 **JJD: Yus!**

* * *

She watched as he swung the sword diagonally across his body, sweat flying off his brow from the force of the strike. He brought the blade up again and swung across the other side, letting out a grunt as he did so. He pressed forward, driving his opponent back, seizing the initiative. His mighty blade rose and fell again and again.

She supposed it might have been a little more impressive if his opponent wasn't only in his head, and his 'mighty weapon' wasn't an oak branch.

She couldn't fault his work ethic though. He'd been at this for the better part of an hour. She'd never seen anyone want something as bad as Jaune wanted to get into Combat School.

They did this same routine almost every day. They'd go to one of the street vendors and pick up some sweets, walk along the boardwalk until they reached the same patch of cleared earth next to the river, and then she'd watch him swing his stick of wood around, slaying imaginary Grimm. If it had been anyone else, she'd have grown tired of it long ago, but somehow with Jaune it was just…different.

The boy swung again, and collapsed to his knees in exhaustion as he tripped over his feet. He gasped for breath as he struggled to find his feet.

"Did you get'em this time?" She drawled.

He shot her a look between gasps.

"I just want to make sure the area is secure." She grinned at him.

"Yeah, I think I got most of 'em." He smiled back.

She just shook her head. "Why do you try so hard Jaune? What makes you want to be a Hunter so bad?"

He laid back on the grass and stared into the sky.

"Because it means something. People are trying to live their lives out here one day at a time, but they do so in constant fear of the Grimm. If I could be a part of taking that fear away, even a small part of it, then that would mean something." He closed his eyes and smiled. "It would mean something to me."

She walked over and leaned over his prone form. "You're ridiculous."

"So you keep telling me."

She nudged him with her foot. "Well hero, you know what would mean something to me? Lunch. You think the area is safe enough for us to go get some?"

He grinned. "You know, I think it just might be."


	6. Breaking Bonds, Making Bonds

**Welcome to another chapter of TPA. As always edited by JJD.**

* * *

Jaune ended call and looked over the photos he had received again. There was not much left of corpse - both arms and the right leg were gone, along with a good part of the upper torso.

 _That's… far more than 40% I'd say…_

After a few more questions, Ozpin put him in contact with the Hunter who fought the beast. An older man with boisterous voice, that was more than happy to give Jaune any information he wanted. According to him, the first 'fatal' wound he delivered was a shot to the chest. Harrowed fell, then returned to its feet and continued to attack.

Next was a diagonal cut from its left shoulder to right side of its chest. The blow separated its head, right arm, and a good portion of the upper torso from rest of body. The strange thing was that according to the Hunter, the beast seemed to have no problem locating him, even when its head was no longer attached to its body. Even when he was clearly out of its line of sight.

What sealed the deal was the third attack - a shot to right side of the pelvis that ripped off its right leg, followed by a cut that separated its remaining arm from the rest of its body.

 _Strange… If it could spot him without a head, it would mean it has some other way of perceiving its surroundings… But it still had trouble with reacting to my attacks in that cave… was it because it was dark in there?_

Jaune shook his head. There was no point thinking about it now. Instead, he focused on task at hand - finding a partner, locating the relics, and passing initiation.

* * *

Blake watched the blond boy run off in the vague direction of north. She spotted him landing not long after her own touchdown, and decided to take a look. She recognized the boy instantly - messy, blond hair, heavy armor, two swords. She recalled that the Headmaster had referred to him as.. Arc?

 _Now, what to do… Should I just walk out? I would prefer to see him fight first, but that landing wasn't half bad._

A sudden ringing interrupted her thoughts. The boy in front of her took out his scroll and started speaking with someone. He was too far away, and talked too quietly for her to hear clearly, but she could still pick out a few words.

 _Is he talking with… Headmaster Ozpin?_

Blake's eyes narrowed. She knew she could be paranoid, but this situation wasn't normal. A Hunter-in-training shouldn't be receiving calls from the Headmaster of the academy he is joining - especially not during initiation.

She watched the boy end the call, then make another and talk with someone else for a few minutes. Then he ran off north.

After a second of contemplation, Blake followed him. Something was not right here - and she was going to find out what.

* * *

Ruby Rose was in distress. This was bad.

Really, really bad.

 _What does he mean by "first person you make eye contact with"?! How am I supposed to 'choose' my partner when all it takes is to look at each other? Ahhhhhhhh, it's so stupid!_

Others might be fine with it - but not socially awkward Ruby.

 _Ok, calm down. All you need to do is not make eye contact with anyone until you find Yang. It will be fine, if you meet someone you can just close your eyes and run past them with your semblance. No eye-contact - no partners._

She ignored the little voice in the back of her head asking what she would do if Yang already found a partner. She wouldn't just leave her little sister like that, right?

.

.

.

She totally would.

 _Ahhh this is bad. What will I do if she abandons me again? I don't know… anybody… Jaune!_

Ruby paused… yes, Jaune Arc looked like a nice guy. She wasn't sure if they could be called friends yet - they only talked two times. But he didn't look put off when she started nerding out about his armor and weapons and he didn't try to get rid of her so he could talk with Yang more.

Plus, he said he had done some contracting work, and for SDC no less. That means he is almost like pro Hunter!

 _Ok, change of plan. Look for Yang OR Jaune._

Ruby smiled at her brilliant plan - two people meant twice as many chances she would partner up with someone she knew.

 _Yes, this is perfect. Now all I need to do is to not look into anyone else's..._

She barely managed to stop before running into the person in front of her. Said person turned around, looking her straight in the...

 _...eyes._

"Oh, it's you," said Weiss Schnee.

* * *

Jaune looked at the new photo he just received. In the span of the thirty or so minutes since his talk with Ozpin, there were ten encounters with a Harrowed. Most of them were students surprised by a sudden attack from an enemy they thought they had just killed - or one they didn't even notice was there. Thankfully, no one had suffered any serious injury. Yet.

That's why, after brief talk with the Headmaster, Jaune decided to focus on taking down the threat.

Thankfully, the increased encounter rate meant more information could be gathered. He now was receiving regular updates on where the Harrowed was encountered, how the fight went, and, in the case it was taken down, a photo of corpse. This allowed Jaune to make some… educated guesses.

 _It can fight even with a severely damaged body, but will abandon it the moment it can no longer move, or attack. It will rely on 'normal' sense as long as possible, but if it loses its head it will start to use some other way to perceive it surrounding - though I have no idea what it might be._

 _It looks like it will try to pretend to be normal Grimm for as long as possible… but why?_

Jaune shook his head. That wasn't what was important now. He had to locate it before someone was seriously wounded, or worse.

 _It always appears in places where a fight against Grimm took place. Why? It often runs away, or even plays dead, and waits for people to leave so it's not like it's looking for victims._

Jaune scrolled through the photos he received, stopping on one that caught his interest. It was the last registered encounter with Harrowed - about six minutes ago. And the only one where it took different shape - an Ursa instead of Beowolf.

 _Why? Why did it take different shape there, but nowhere else? Maybe it decided this one would mask it more effectively? Is it that intelligent?_

Just when he was about to put his scroll away, it ringed. Jaune recognized the number - it was the same Hunter that encountered the Harrowed this morning.

"Jaune, my boy! I looked around the clearing where last encounter took place, and I found something interesting."

 _Oh?_

"I'm listening."

"Whoever fought there, fought Ursas."

It took Jaune a few moments to figure out why this information was important.

 _It was always Beowolf… In every place it "spawned" people fought Beowolves._

"So it took the shape of Ursa… to blend in?"

"It might… but why do so after the fight?"

Now that was good question, wasn't it? Usually the Harrowed appeared shortly after a fight ended, and either tried to run after a surprise attack, or played dead after it was "killed" by students unaware what they were dealing with. Thanks to the cameras, teachers from Beacon could easily locate it, but so far every attempt to put it down for good failed. Another mystery was how it went from its 'ghost' form to material one.

 _Damn you Doggy, you are just determined to ruin my day, aren't you?_

Now the big question was - where would it spawn next? A sudden explosion, followed by gunshots, caught his attention. He looked to the source of noise - north-east form his current location, and not too far away.

 _Well, as good place to check as any._ He thought, running towards the rising plume of smoke.

* * *

Blake was getting nervous. This Arc boy cleary was up to something. She saw him check his scroll multiple times, usually looking over something, but also making few calls. She didn't know what they were about - the one time she dared to try to sneak any closer, she was almost spotted.

 _Who are you? And why are you here?_

Rustling of bushes behind her put her on guard. She briefly considered trying to run away - she really didn't want to fight anything now. That was bound to catch the blond boy's attention, ruining her chances of spying on him.

However, before she could make decision, the source of the noise appeared.

It wasn't Grimm, but a person. A very noisy person.

"Oh, hello there." She said with grin

"Hi." Answered Blake.

The blond haired girl in front of her put one hand on her hip and flashed a cocky grin.

"Guess we're partners, huh? Name's Yang Xiao Long," she said extending her hand.

The fanus girl spared a quick glance behind her. The boy was gone.

With an internal sigh she took the offered hand.

"Blake Belladonna."

It looked like her investigation would have to wait

* * *

When Jaune finally reached his destination, the fight was already over. Corpses of five Beowolves laid all over the small clearing, slowly turning into smoke.

Literally all over.

A forearm with half of its paw still attached was probably biggest piece of Grimm left behind.

 _Well, that looks… messy. But I guess none of them will be getting back up anytime soon._

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something strange. There was much more of this black smoke there than there should have been, and it was concentrating in a single spot. With morbid fascination, Jaune observed as the remains of the dead Grimm gathered near the forearm he noticed earlier - and began to take shape. It was vague at first, but after not even a minute, a full-fledged Beowolf stood before him.

 _Ok… So it gathers remains of dead Grimm to make body for itself. Sure, why not._

He snapped his scroll shut, after sending recording of what he saw to Ozpin.

Hiding behind a nearby tree, he pulled two bottles from his belt. Drinking two elixirs at once wasn't something he liked to do - the risk of backslash was much greater, and side effects were amplified too, but this was not time to play around.

Jaune closed his eyes and started applying his Semblance. The first thing that kicked in was a dull headache. Soon after, his hearing strengthened - he could now cleary hear the monster in clearing behind him. He started picking up scents with much more intensity, but after a few seconds turned it down. A few seconds more, and he slowly opened his eyes - to see the grey world.

He first realized what his Semblance was about two years ago - but was probably using it subconsciously for longer. It allowed him to strengthen Aura - allowing him to block stronger hits and heal faster than other Hunters.

After some experimenting, he discovered he could use it to help manipulate effects of his elixirs. Usually he limited it to lowering their side effects, but in the case of more complicated elixirs - it gave him a few more options.

Take Dawn for example. It was something he created shortly after he come back to experimenting with Dusk. He wanted to create weaker version that would allow him to fight for longer, and with milder drawbacks. He technically failed - Dawn had none of the properties of Dusk. Instead, it greatly boosted his five senses. While that sounded nice - and was useful in some situations - it was a double edged sword. Boosted hearing meant he was more vulnerable to loud noises, boosted vision made it easy to be blinded by any source of light. Worst was touch - when boosted it made him capable of feeling even slightest movements of air around him. Very useful when he had to fought hard to see enemy.

If not for the fact it also greatly lowered his pain threshold - to the point where a simple pat on the back could knock him out from the pain.

However, thanks to his Semblance, he could choose what he wanted to boost, and how much. For example - he could boost his hearing, but keep other senses at a normal level. Or he could turn off his ability to see colors - and boost his ability to perceive movements.

With the addition of the Perception Enhancer, he could also simulate Dusk Aura-vision. The effect was weaker, but since the only real drawback was small headache, and increased Aura consumption when he was using his Semblance, he could keep it up much longer.

Jaune took a few more seconds to stabilize the effects of both elixirs, and making sure he wasn't about to get hit by sudden nausea attack.

Then, black sword in hand, and a smile on his lips, he walked out of his hiding spot.

"Hi there Doggy." He said as the beast turned towards him. "Ready for round two?"

* * *

The Ursa's roar was cut short by the spear that pierced its skull. The second beast tried to get her from behind, but was too slow. Pyrrha spun to the left, switching her spear to its sword form and cutting off Grimm hand in one, fluid motion. Before it could even think about how to retaliate, Milo - again in spear form - pierced through the back of its head. Freeing her weapon, Pyrrha scanned the battlefield.

The corpses of five Ursa laid around, a few almost gone already. She sighed, and started walking north again. Catching the blond boy provided far harder than she thought. At first, she wanted to… help the odds a bit. But just as she lined up for a perfect throw that would let her pin him to the tree - and didn't that bring a few… interesting images in her mind - the boy suddenly lost his momentum and disappeared in the forest.

That left her with only one option - track him down. Well, she was a Huntress (in training), tracking down her prey was basically in the job description. Unfortunately, her private instructors somehow omitted this little detail in her lessons. She made it to the spot she thought he landed without any problems - the few Grimm she encountered were nothing more than a distraction. But then the real problem started - even if she was in the right place, it turned out her partner-to-be didn't see fit to wait for her.

With no clue what to do, she decided to just run north - where relics were supposed to be. All the time looking for a mop of messy blond hair.

Pyrrha knew she was probably being unfair. It was normal for people to be in awe when they met someone they admired. It's just that she was really tired of being The Champion - she wanted to be just Pyrrha again. And while she was sure anyone she was partnered with would understood it - eventually - she preferred to not take any chances.

Jaune Arc never heard of her - something she was dreading was not possible. Not only that - he seemed to genuinely not care. They talked briefly, on the way to the cliffs - and while he asked many of the questions she usually received, they lacked the… awe her fans had. He expressed his admiration for her skill - but he wasn't gushing about it.

Yes, Jaune Arc proved nice, friendly, funny. He didn't care about her fame, and saw her as a person. That was all she ever really wanted - and more than she dared to hope she would ever find. But now that it was right in front of her - she was ready to fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted.

She smiled.

 _I wonder what he is doing right now…_

* * *

Jaune Arc was currently running through forest, sword in hand, and murder in his eyes.

 _That fucking son of Vacuan whore! That flea-ridden mutt! Just you wait, you stinking piece of Grimm shit, when I get you…_

The reason for Jaune rage was simple.

His second encounter with 'Doggy', as he named his mark, went rather well - it was nowhere near as strong as during their first fight.

Jaune was sure he would be able to finish it then and there - but Doggy suddenly threw some soil mixed with leaves at him. It was just a brief distraction - one that the beast used to run away. It only briefly paused when it found some dead Grimm to "eat up" and continued running.

This was the beginning of cat-and-mouse game, where Jaune was chasing the damn thing around, and 'Doggy' was entertaining him by throwing whatever it could at him whenever he got close.

The Harrowed proved to be extremely light on its feet - easily outrunning Beowolves. This provided to be a challenge for Jaune, who was not fastest person around.

To make matters worse, it was killed twice by some students - forcing Jaune to waste even more time trying to find it again.

 _At least I learned few things..._

The Harrowed was capable of gathering remains of dead Grimm to build himself a body. He usually made one resembling Grimm it "collected" - but was by no means limited to a single form. After its body was complete it couldn't abandon it until it was either heavily damaged - or it lost its head. It could remain in the same body for as long as it wanted - but would usually abandon one when it was no longer capable of fighting.

Freshly after reforming, it was much weaker than normal Grimm - but could gather more material to strengthen itself.

After being killed, its "essence" - how Jaune like to call it would leave the body and drift away, but no more than ten meters. Then it would start gathering a bit of material from its previous body - and fly off in the direction of highest Grimm concentration in around a 200 meter radius. If it didn't find any - it would just wander around until it stumbled onto some. Then it would attach itself to a Grimm, and wait for it to die, then take over its body. Or, if the Grimm were already dead, it would stick to the biggest peace it could find, and build a new one.

Jaune paused for a moment to listen, and catch his breath. Then he continued running.

The sound of gunfire from the direction he was heading to stopped about ten minutes ago. That meant there would be dead Grimm there - and his mark would stop to feed again.

Jaune "lost" the Harrowed a bit earlier. He hoped giving it some space would cause it to drop its guard and let him make some preparations.

It payed off - he could now see a small clearing with several Grimm corpses, and his mark in the middle gathering black smoke.

Another thing he discovered was that the Harrowed had rather poor senses. When its head was destroyed, it would start emitting black smoke - and could use it to locate moving objects around it, but only in a very limited area.

So now, when his prey stopped running, and was discrated, Jaune decided to act.

He ran out of the woods, straight at Harrowed. He managed to cover half the distance before it noticed him.

It roared and hesitated on whether to run or fight.

It cost it, when the black blade tore through its left arm, cutting it cleanly.

 _Its true form is invulnerable as long as it remains in the body._

Jaune recalled what he learned, dodging the Harrowed's right arm.

" _It's smart, would fight for as long as it thinks it has chance, but will try to run when it takes heavy damage."_

A swift counter left, cut deep into the beast's torso. Jaune took a few steps back, and looked his opponent over. Its eyes - still red - locked onto his.

Jaune took a deep breath. He had already formed plan, and made all the preparations he could in such limited time. Now it was time to put it in motion.

* * *

The beast was furious. The intruder has returned - and he was relentless. It chased it for a long time, not giving it the chance to eat and get stronger. It wanted to kill him, for all the pain he caused, but the Beast knew better.

The intruder was strong. If it wanted to kill him, it had to eat - a lot. Eat and grow stronger. Right now the Beast knew it couldn't win - so it would just bide its time and look for a chance to escape. The intruder was fast and strong, but it could outrun him.

It already lost one arm, but it could be regrown - now all it needed was a chance.

The Beast jumped back, avoiding a slash to its neck. It could just abandon this body - but then it would go back to being blind.

Blind, and deaf. Cold and hot - both and neither at the same time. It didn't want to do it - even all pain it was feeling was better than that.

It gathered some earth, threw it at the intruder - and ran as fast as it could. The lack of one hand hindered its speed, but it was sure it could still outrun him.

* * *

Jaune ran after the retreating monster.

 _Just a bit more…_

Despite losing an arm, it was still very fast - faster than him. It was steadily gaining distance. And it was still accelerating.

Jaune smiled.

 _It should be around…_

The Harrowed let out surprised squeal when it tripped, fell and slammed into nearby tree.

 _Here._

After few encounters he learned of Beast habits - it would try to distract him, then run straight ahead for about 300 meters. Then it start waving, trying to lose pursuers.

That's why Jaune put up some tripwires, and circled around to make sure the Beast would run in the right direction.

Step one, place traps _._

Step two, lure Harrowed into them.

So far his plan was working.

 _Time for step three - force the real body out._

The Beast was still dazed from the impact, and Jaune didn't give it time to recover. His black sword rose and fell, taking the Beast head off its shoulders.

 _Step three done, time for step four - finish the job._ He thought, observing with his Aura vision as... something was emerging from the Grimm's neck. It was shapeless, and swirling around. After a short time, taking a shape that looked like… well something. But it quickly returned to it shapeless form.

Jaune took a deep breath and poured Aura into his sword. It started vibrating, letting off a low buzzing sound. After just a moment, black mist started to raise from the blade, settling around his hand, coloring it in the same pitch-black color. It spread up to elbow before stopping.

The blade itself looked liquid. A wisp of black and white swirled together making complex, constantly changing designs.

Awakening of black swords was one of its most powerful abilities. Unfortunately it also drained Aura like crazy, and sometime there were... other side-effects. But it was the only way to deal with Harrowed that didn't have a material body.

 _I can't afford to awaken it fully. Even then I probably have only two minutes… if I really push it. But I still need to complete this initiation, so…_

He let out his breath and looked up - the Harrowed was now fully visible. It appeared as a ball floating about one meter above its body. Four to six tentacle-like things connected the ball with it severed neck.

A sudden gust of wind broke withered out branch.

The Witcher dashed.

The Grimm body did the same - but the Harrowed stayed in the same place.

 _I can't destroy the connection between it and its body - it will run away._

He ducked under a swipe of the Grimm's arm and tried to run past it towards the main body.

The decapitated body made a move like it wanted to bite him - but the lack of head made it a wasted effort. It instead half-lunged, half-tackled him.

Jaune sidestepped it, and when it fell over slashed at its leg - not enough to cut it off, but enough to hinder its movement.

It rose and tried to chase him - but it was too late. Jaune pumped Aura into his legs and jumped.

A broken branch hit the forest floor with a dull thud.

A black sword hit the Harrowed's body. It struggled for a moment, then gave up.

* * *

Pain. That was all Beast could feel, all it knew. The intruder destroyed its strong body - leaving it deaf and blind yet again. It could still feel pain - and the movement around it's now useless body. It needed to get rid of it - but couldn't do it on its own. Now it needed to wait for this body to disappear - then feed until it could create new one. Then it could be… it could _be_ again.

Suddenly a new sensation hit it. It was strange - familiar, yet alien. Was it pain? It was only thing it could ever feel in this state. But it was already in so much pain! There was so much of it. Pain was always there, pain was only thing the Beast knew, pain was…. disaspering?

The Beast wasn't sure what was happening. The pain was disappearing - only thing it knew was disappearing. If it were to disappear - what would happen to the Beast? What would it become... Would it even _be_ anymore?

It started to feel something else - something not pleasant. But then it heard a voice. It was strange - it shouldn't be able to hear anything. But it didn't heard it as much as… felt it.

It couldn't understand it at first - but it was a nice voice. The Beast liked it.

 _..ase yours..._

What was that? The Beast couldn't really understand, but voice was nice, so it must have said something nice, right?

 _...cut chains…pain... bind you._

Chains? Bind? Pain? Yes, pain was what bound the Beast to this world. It let it _be_. If there was no pain, then there would be no Beast… the Beast didn't want to disappear… it wanted to just… to be.

But maybe, it was better that way? If all Beast was, was pain, was it really worth it to be? It didn't want to disappear, but maybe…

 _..peace._

Peace? Beast didn't know what this meant… did it? It stirred something in it… something nice. It would be nice to not feel pain… It wouldn't be the Beast anymore, it wasn't sure if it would _be_ anything… but maybe that was for the best.

So it decided to listen to this nice voice. It let go of the pain, left it behind. The Beast… no... it was not the Beast anymore - it was left behind with the pain. So what was it now?

Nothing.

It was nothing.

It made it sad - a welcome change.

And then it understood.

It was nothing now.

So maybe it could become something new…

* * *

Jaune was kneeling, trying to catch his breath. Thankfully, he managed to deactivated his black sword. Now if only he could do something about the pain…

Feedback from Harrowed was a rare thing - it happened only when it was conscious enough to actually recognize what it saw, and felt, ment. Usually, what was transferred was some of the feelings, sometimes a bit of memory.

All Jaune felt in the instant he made connection with the Harrowed was pain.

 _It held onto it… It held onto the pain, because it was the only thing that let it remain self-conscious… and it got twisted by it._

Jaune slowly stood up, and looked up to where the Harrowed's body was just a moment ago. There was only a few traces left, floating in the air and disappearing - like little fireflies.

 _You poor bastard… you were so afraid, you preferred to live in pain, than to move on?_

He smiled.

 _See you my friend. I hope you will do well, wherever you went._

Jaune shook his head - both to get rid of these thoughts, and clear his head a bit. He still felt dizzy, and some of the phantom pain remained, but he was mostly fine now. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it go.

Jaune send a quick message to Ozpin informing him job was done. Then he headed north.

 _Bonus objective completed. Now onto the main one - find the relics and complete initiation._

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos took few deep breaths and steeled her resolve. After running around for nearly two hours she almost gave up hope of finding Jaune Arc. He probably already had partner. Maybe it was Weiss? Or that blond girl she noticed talking to him just before they were launched? They seemed to know each other...

It was with these heavy thoughts, and a heavier heart, that she come upon a small clearing - with blond boy kneeling near tree and near the decaying corpse of a Beowolf.

For a few seconds she just stood there, staring at his back. Then she hid behind a tree. Her mind raced.

 _OK, calm down Pyrrha. Just walk out there and talk to him. It's nothing hard, people make friends all the time._

 _But what do I say?_

 _Well… I could ask him if he is alright.. He seemed a bit off. Maybe he got scared in his first real fight._

She nodded. That could work. She will walk out there, show concern, be nice and supportive…

 _NO! Are you idiot? Men are fragile creatures, if you imply he got scared by a single Grimm, you could break him!_

 _Yeah, that's right. So maybe I should compliment him? Say how skillfully he took that Beowolf down…_

 _Yeah, but I didn't saw him fight. What if I say something wrong…_

…

…

 _I could go back to plan A and just pin him to the tree…_

 _But using a spear to pin him down, is a bit extreme… he could get scared..._

 _I don't have to use a spear to pin him down…_

 _Hmm, he does look pretty winded… probably won't be able to resist…_

 _I can make him not want to resist…_

 _Hmm…._

Pyrrha slapped herself.

 _Get your act together! If you delay any longer someone will snatch him away, or you lose him again. Just walk out there, say 'hi' and ask if he is alright. If he says he is ok, just talk about anything…_

Taking few deep breaths, she walked out into the clearing. She made to speak… And realised there was no one there.

Pyrrha just stood there for a few seconds, smile on her lips, and hand raised in greeting.

Her eyebrow started twitching.

She looked towards the north.

She lowered her hand.

Her smile was much more… predatory now.

Pyrrha Nikos took a deep breath, and dashed in the direction she was sure the blond boy went.

Her prey was close - and she would be damned if she let it escape.

* * *

Jaune shuddered, and looked around. He suddenly felt as if he was prey being hunted by very vicious predator. This wasn't exactly an alien feeling for him - but one that he hadn't felt in quite a while. Usually, it was him doing hunting - even if his usual prey didn't realize it.

 _Must have been my imagination. Focus on the task at hand._

He sighed and looked around. Everything was glowing. Jaune was a bit torn on whether or not to use his Aura vision. Sure, it would help him spot danger sooner, but using it constantly consumed his own Aura. Not much - but every bit counted when in a hostile environment.

Sometimes he caught brighter flashes - signs of other students.

He noticed a bigger concentration of light in one direction - which probably meant there were more people gathered there.

But he also noticed a few shadows in the way - which meant there were Grimm between them.

When he first shared his discovery of Aura vision with his teacher, he was rather impressed, and instantly asked why Jaune wasn't using it to track Grimm.

" _But Grimm don't have Aura."_ Was his answer.

" _Yeah, but if everything around you is glowing - just look for spots where the glow is weaker. It's like looking for the darkness between the stars."_ Was his teacher response.

That proved to be true - he couldn't see Grimm - they were just black shapes. But he could make out spots where light of Aura was dimed - and this told him where Grimm might be. It wasn't perfect - sometimes what he found were just some inanimate objects like rocks, or boulders, and it didn't work too well if there was no life around, like in desert.

Still, it had its uses, so he wasn't complaining.

 _I could just circle around… but it's not big group. It's better to take them down now, on my terms, than to get ambushed later._

He nodded to himself and rushed towards the Grimm. They weren't far, and when he came closer - he noticed it was only five Beowolves. One was bigger, and had more plating than others - but it wasn't an Alpha.

 _Good._ thought Jaune.

 _I needed to blow off some steam anyway._

* * *

Pyrrha come to halt near a tree. She noticed Jaune walking towards a group of five Beowolves. It didn't take long for the Grimm to notice the lone human walking towards them. They fanned out and started growling menacingly.

At first, she wanted to jump in and help him, but something stopped her. If she intervened now, wouldn't it look like she didn't believe in his skill? It was only five Beowolves - something every half-decent Hunter could easily take care of. And Jaune trained for four years in the Wilds - he was bound to be more than half-decent. If he did get in trouble - she could easily help him from afar.

 _Ok, let's see what is he's made of…_

Jaune continued walking towards Grimm. Three Beawolves charged straight at him, two started flanking. The only reaction from him was to raise his shield.

Three of the Grimm were almost upon him. They jumped high, maws open wide, and arms raised to crush the foolish human who challenged them.

Pyrrha tightened her grip on her weapon, ready to rush in if her partner-to-be got in trouble.

She needn't have worried - suddenly Jaune charged in, slamming shield-first into the beast at the center, shoving it to the left. At the same time, he lashed out with his sword at the one on his right. All three fell over, one of them missing a limb.

Jaune didn't even spare a look at them, but instead ran to the right.

 _Not bad… but he should have killed the one he bashed intead…_

Jaune collided with the next Grimm. She couldn't see exactly what happened, but the Beowolf was pushed back and fell over. It didn't made any attempt to get up - probably because it was now missing its head.

 _Ok, four more to go…_

Jaune turned around to face the remaining Grimm that were… not attacking him. Instead, they grouped up, then fanned out again.

The one Jaune bashed was again in the center - Pyrrha recognized it since it was bigger and had more bone plating that rest. It was now standing on its hind legs, howling. The other two Grimm were on all fours - well one was on all fours, the other on all threes - letting out low growls. Jaune, shield up and sword at the ready, was slowly moving towards them.

 _Why they don't attack…_ she though. Then her eyes widened. _Wait, where is forth one?_

She spotted it easily - it started to circle behind Jaune.

 _He must have got distracted and missed it!_ She changed Milo into rifle and aimed at the lone Grimm. But didn't fire. It still hadn't gotten bad - but if she fired, it could distract him. And if all Grimm attacked at that moment...

She took a few deep breaths to relax, and took her finger off trigger. But she didn't lower her weapon.

If she decided that it got too risky - she would help, whether he asked for it or not.

The rest of the Grimm still didn't attack - they were howling, growling, shuffling around, and overtly making as much noise they could. From time to time, one would move few steps ahead, causing Jaune to pause, but they would soon move back.

 _What are they doing? Why are they not attacking? They should…_ the realisation struck her like lighting.

 _They are distracting him… so the other one can attack from behind._

This was… worrying. Not because they posed any real threat - she was sure she could easily dispatch such a small group. But this was clearly intended behavior - something requiring intelligence.

Pyrrha swallowed. Was Jaune surprised by this unusual behavior?

The lone Beowolf was now directly behind the blond boy. The three Grimm in front of him fanned out and charged.

Jaune charged too.

Pyrrha took aim and prepared to shoot. It was clear what would happen - the beast behind the young Hunter was closer than the other three so it would reach him first. The sudden attack from behind would either knock him over - or at least distract him long enough for the others to close in.

Jaune was heavy armored, so he would probably survive. Probably - and even then there was still the possibility of injury.

So Pyrrha decided to wait till the last moment - and if the he didn't show any indication he noticed the threat behind him - she would intervene.

Then a few things happened very quickly.

Jaune changed the direction of his charge and collided with Grimm to his left.

Behind him, two Beowolves - the one in middle of pack and the one who was behind the young Hunter, tried to change direction too - but didn't made it in time, and slammed into each other.

 _Well that's lucky…_

The last beast - the one on the right, that Jaune crippled at the very beginning - had to stop its own charge, lest it would collide with them. It jumped over the tangled mass of limbs and bodies that its packmebers had become. It fell over, got up, then awkwardly jumped a few steps before lunging at the blond boy.

Its headless body fell not far from bisected corpse of the other Grimm.

Not even looking behind him, Jaune charged at remaining two Beowolves, that were slowly starting to get up.

He didn't even slow down when he collided with smaller one and carried it with him. The bigger Grimm didn't try to attack - instead, yet again showing a surprising amount of intelligence, jumped back, narrowly avoiding the sword that lashed at its leg.

Jaune pushed a bit further, then turned himself and the Grimm he was carrying. The tip of Crocea Mors erupted from the Beowolf's back.

The last remaining Grimm stood on its hind legs and let out a loud howl.

Jaune stepped over the decaying corpse.

The Grimm charged.

The human did the same.

The Grimm raised its arm and slashed at the human.

The human raised his sword and slashed at the Grimm.

A black arm fell to the ground.

The Grimm howled and lashed with its other arm.

The human took the blow on its shield, and pushed, pinning the limb to the Beowolf's body.

The Grimm tried to bite at him - but the shield made it impossible to reach the young hunter.

The human's sword pressed against the Beowolf's side.

The Grimm howled.

Pyrrha watched as Jaune slashed the Grimm at the waist, its legs falling forward, its upper body pushed backwards by the shield.

She grinned. _He is good…_

Jaune continued with the momentum of his last cut, turning around, shield raised and sword at the ready. He spent a few seconds scanning the battlefield,

Pyrrha left her hiding spot and walked towards Jaune, who just now started to relax.

 _Ok, keep it cool. Say hi, compliment his fight. Throw a joke. It wil..._

She could feel power of the blow reverberating through her arm, even as Akouo blocked the sword aimed at her throat.

She stared at him over the rim of her shield.

He stared at her along blade of his sword.

A few seconds passed in silence. Neither moved, or made sound.

"Hi there." She said, smiling.

"Hi," he answered with a smile mirroring hers.

"Looks like we're partners, Mr Arc?" She said, lowering Akouo, just as he lowered his sword.

"It would appear so, Miss Nikos." She pulled back Milo from where it collided with his sheath.

He sheathed his sword.

 _Wait, where did his shield go?_

She shook his hand. The smile that adored his face was the same one she always wore when fighting strong opponents.

She wore it now too.

His grip on her hand tightened.

"I believe this might be beginning of beautiful friendship; don't you think Miss Nikos?"

Her grip tightened as well.

"I couldn't agree more Mr. Arc."

* * *

They walked for few minutes, talking along the way. Jaune proved to be as good companion as she hoped. He didn't talk about her tournament career when he noticed she wasn't comfortable with the topic. Instead, they talked about their weapons, what training they had, and about Grimm.

She learned that his sword was called Crocea Mors, and was a family heirloom. Its sheath could transform into a shield - and that was it. No other transformations, no guns, no nothing. Just a solid piece of steel.

His other sword was called Eclipse - and that was all she learned. Any further attempts to get some more information were met with a half-smile and the simple answer that, "it's a trade secret."

"So, what do you think? Is humble old me skilled enough to be the partner of the great Pyrrha Nikos?"

He quipped. She looked up to notice him looking back at her with a half-smile. His eyes were glowing - probably an effect of his Semblance. Through the few minutes they were together, Jaune proved capable of spotting people - and Grimm - from quite some distance. Even if trees or bushes were in the way.

Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion.

"You were watching me fight that pack earlier. So I wondered if my performance was satisfactory." He elaborated.

She could feel her cheeks heat up.

 _He noticed me? But how… right it must be his Semblance. If he can detect people from hundreds of meters in the forest, he for sure was able to notice me._

Pyrrha hummed, tapping her cheek with one finger.

"Your performance was… passable. We shall allow you to accompany us." She said with a haughty voice.

Jaune looked at her for a moment then laughed.

She laughed too.

"But seriously, that was quite impressive Jaune. Though you scared me a little bit there."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"When you let that one Beowolf behind you. I know it was small group but…"

"Pack." He interrupted her. Pyrrha looked at his quizzically.

"It was a pack, not a group." He elaborated.

"What's the difference?"

"A group is just a few Grimm that happened to be in the same place. A pack has a leader"

 _Grimm have leaders? I never heard of it. But this… pack certainly seemed to work together quite well._

"So, the big one was the leader?"

"Yeah"

"So why didn't you kill it first? I'm sure you could have done it when you two collided." After watching the whole fight, Pyrrha had no doubt that Jaune could have easily killed the pack leader when he first collided with it. Which begged the question - why didn't he take it down.

"I could." He admitted easily.

"Then why…"

"Because as long as leader is alive, it will use the tactics that I know - and can counter."

Grimm… used tactics?

Pyrrha snorted. Yeah, right. Her partner was making fun of her, for sure.

 _Well, I can play along for a while. Let's see where this goes._

"And what tactic would that be?" She asked.

She expected some ridiculous answer. She didn't expect her partner to start a full lecture.

"When any Grimm from a pack spots you, they will get into formation. In smaller packs - up to around twelve – the leader will always be in the center. It will be flanked by the two most experienced members of pack - these are his "guards." They will always stick close to the leader, and will sometimes take hits for him. That's why, if possible, you want to take them down first. The rest of the pack are attackers - they will flank the guards, splitting evenly on both sides." He paused for a moment, and then continued.

"The leader and his guards will attack head-on. The attackers will try to flank you. If there are six or more attackers, the pair closest to the guards will attack head-on with them. If there is an odd number of attackers, and there are more than four of them, the spare one will try to circle behind you."

"If you kill a guard, the closest attacker will take its place. If one side has twice as many attackers as the other, the pack will fall back towards leader and try to regroup. If only one attacker is left, then the leader and his guards will try to distract you, while the attacker circles behind. The leader will stand on its hind legs, the guards will do whatever they want, but usually won't attack. Attacking, or trying to retreat will cause whole pack to rush you.

"Bigger packs have a bit different tactics, and different formations. There are more guards for example, and instead of fanning out, the attackers tend to surround the leader."

He paused for a moment, then shot her a half-smile.

"Of course this how they act against single, slow moving opponent with no ranged weapons like me. Tactics will change depending on number of people involved, and their weapons. For example - if you open the fight with explosives, pack will try to spread out, if you shoot them, they will charge head on, and try to lock you in melee.

Pyrrha was shocked.

 _Ok, so maybe he wasn't joking..._

She shook her head.

 _I guess four years in the field can teach you things combat prep school won't._

"But if leaders are so smart, wouldn't it be better to take it down? A disorganized enemy is easier to take down than organized one."

"True." He agreed again. "Most people would probably prefer to take leader out ASAP. It all depends on the person - what weapon they use, the terrain, the size of the pack etc. I prefer to keep the leader alive. Like I said, I know what tactics they will use if I'll fight in certain way. Of course there are variations, but I can predict them. And if I know how they react to certain situations - I can control the fight to certain degree."

"The other reason is that if leader dies, a part of the pack tends to run away. I don't use guns, and even though I can run for a long time, I'm not fast enough to catch a Beowolf. But as long as leader is alive, the rest of pack will stick around - so I can get them all."

"Then why not use a gun?"

"Well, I was practicing with Crocea Mors for most of my life, so I decided it wouldn't make much sense to change weapons. Plus there are few problems with guns - they are loud, can jam, and you need to carry ammo."

"Is it really that big deal? If you do maintenance properly they won't jam, and ammo is easily accessible."

"Oh sure. In civilized parts. But out in the Wilds? Sometimes you might spend weeks without seeing another person, let alone shop. Not only that - you already need to carry food, drink and medicine. If I used guns I would have to give up some of it for ammo." He paused for a moment then added much quieter. "It also might be because I'm terrible with them."

She laughed.

"So, any more questions Miss Nikos?"

 _Yes, where have you been my whole life?_ She thought.

"Why yes, professor. Do other Grimm have leaders too, or only Beowolves? And when would you say it's better to keep leader alive, rather than kill it?" She asked.

He hummed.

"Depends on the type of Grimm. As a rule of thumb - if they act in packs, there usually is a leader. Sometimes stronger Grimm of different types can act as leaders for lesser Grimm - for example Goliaths leading a pack of Beowolves, but this is extremely rare."

"As for your other question - there are many different factors, so it's hard to say, but generally speaking - if the leader is an Alpha, you most of the time want it dead ASAP - they are just too dangerous to keep alive. If you rely on speed and dodging, or tactics and disorienting your enemy, you want leader dead sooner than later too - otherwise it can figure out way to counter you."

"But if you are more of a brute force fighter - then you might want to leave the leader for last. Especially if you are not very mobile - like me. That way you can ensure the whole pack stays in place, and even control them if you know what you are doing. For example - crippling the leader leg will let you drag attackers away from it and its guards - so about one fifth, to one fourth of pack will be out of the fight. "

Pyrrha nodded.

 _So, divide and conquer, huh?_

She recalled Jaune's fight - and realized this was what he had done. He didn't kill the leader - because this would turn a coordinated - and predictable - pack into wild beasts. Not only that – but shoving the leader into one of its guards, and crippling the other, caused a brief time when he had to worry about only two Grimm. Then he started to pick them off one by one.

 _This was all planned. From start to finish, the whole fight was planned._

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. Her partner was turning out to be an interesting person indeed.

They soon come upon a small clearing with three Ursa - one of them being a major.

An idea struck her.

"Hey Jaune?"

He looked back to her.

"How about I take this group on my own?"

He didn't look convinced.

"I'll be fine. I have fought Ursa before - and in bigger groups too. Besides - I saw you fight, it's only fair if you see me in action too."

Jaune hummed.

 _Well, she's not an amateur, that's for sure… And I kinda do want to see what she can do…_

This was risky idea… but fighting Grimm was always risky. His partner was no pushover tho…

He looked around - there were no other Grimm in the vicinity. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.

"Ok, but if I get even the slightest impression that you are in trouble, I'm moving in."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded

 _He showed me something really nice._ She thought, Milo extending into spear form with a flourish.

 _Guess I have to respond in kind._

She lunged at the first Ursa.

* * *

 _You gotta be kidding me…._ Thought Jaune watching his partner .

Pyrrha ripped her spear from the Ursa's belly, spinning around and backhanding it with her shield.

She made a pirouette, and slammed the back of her spear into the Ursa's mask, knocking it down. Immediately, she thrust forward, stabbing, and forcing back Ursa Major.

 _How can someone move like that..._

The Ursa that recovered from the blow to its head, raised its paw to swat away the red-haired Huntress.

Pyrrha jumped, and spun, shifting Milo into sword form. Its sharp blade easily cut off the Grimm's arm.

She landed in a low crouch behind the beast, spun again, cutting it along the waist. It fell over, and didn't get up back up.

 _..and make it work?_

Pyrrha continued her spin, and threw her shield. It bounced off the Ursa Major's head, knocking it off balance.

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet from Milo hit beast in the knee, causing it to fall. It tried to get up.

Pyrrha was already in the air. She spun again, throwing her shield - it hit the Grimm in the head, bringing it to the ground again.

The Huntress followed soon after. She grabbed Milo - now in spear form - with both hands and plunged it into the massive Grimm's chest. She pulled it free, and faced the last Ursa. It moved clumsily towards her - it left knee shattered at very beginning of the fight.

Pyrrha shifted her weapon into rifle form, and shot Grimm in its front leg. It stumbled, and began to fall.

A red spear pierced through its eye socket. It was dead before it even hit the ground.

Jaune shook his head. The calm and practical part of him had started to count Pyrrha "mistakes" as soon as the fight started. She was doing so many acrobatics - spins, jumps, and the like. Something his teacher thoroughly drilled into him to _not_ do. After all, a full piruet in a fight would leave moment when you have your back to enemy - an opening that could easily be exploited.

Unless you are Pyrrha Nikos, apparently. She was just too fast, too strong, too precise for any of these little "mistakes" to matter.

When she twirled her weapon to change form - it was but a moment.

When she spun - she was just blur, the movement over in the blink of the eye.

When she was in the air - she never gave her opponent a chance to exploit it.

So all Jaune could do, was to stare in awe, while she fought.. no, _danced._ Fighting was too crude of a word to describe what he was witnessing.

 _Guess she's not four-time champion for nothing._

He was expecting her to be good - but this went beyond being 'good'.

Pyrrha walked up to him, a smile on her lips.

"So, what do you think? Is humble old me worthy to accompany the great Hunter, Jaune Arc?"

He snorted.

"You know, when Weiss told me you were a four-time tournament champion, I expected you to be good. But not _that_ good." He said, shaking his head. "Four years in the Wilds - I thought I learned something, but now I feel like useless baggage here," he added, turning away from her in fake despair.

To his surprise, he heard a gasp coming from Pyrrha.

He looked back.

His partner looked at him with wide, apologetic eyes. One hand covered her mouth, the other clutched her stomach.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to…"

Jaune gulped.

 _Aaaand I'm feeling like ass right now. She looks like a kicked puppy._

He shot her a smile.

"Relax, I was just kidding."

 _Ok, note to self - don't bring up her skill and fame. Even in jokes._

She laughed - but it was forced.

Jaune sighed. Now, he had to somehow deal with this mess.

* * *

Pyrrha was bashing herself mentally.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm so stupid! It was going fine, but of course I had to go and show off._

Really, what was she thinking? It's not like it's the first time this happened - people distancing themselves from her because they thought she was too good for them. What if she just alienated her partner?

Sure, he said it was only a joke - but what if it wasn't? She recalled some of her childhood friends. They too said her fame did not bother them. But with each success they hung out less, they looked at her more and more like an idol, and less like person. Eventually, they drifted apart. When she went to combat school, she had hoped it would be better.

It was - for a short while. Most people looked at her in awe, as champion, some with spite, jealous of her skill and fame. And each win put more and more distance between her and her peers. Hell, there were a few who got their spirit crushed by her. They lost faith in their skills, and eventually gave…

She gasped. What if she did the same to her partner? They were supposed to work together, but if he thought himself unworthy of her, that he was just a hindrance? He was training in the Wilds - no doubt often risking his life. What if she made him think it was all for naught?

She spared a glance at him. They were walking for few minutes now, not a single word exchanged. Gone were the easy banters and laughs from before – only the tense silence remained.

Her head dropped again.

 _What do I do? I have to fix it somehow. But how? Offer to train with him? He will just think I'm looking down on him. Ask for a spar and lose on purpose? No, he will notice and think I did it out of pity. What should I do? What CAN I do?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by her partner.

"Hey, Pyrrha…"

She looked up. He was looking at her feet, eyebrows furrowed.

"You dropped something…"

 _Huh?_

She looked down - but saw only dirt, leaves and some small branches.

"It's over there"

She took step back - but still saw nothing that could be hers.

"Careful, you almost stepped on it."

She took step to the side.

"What…"

He flicked her in the forehead.

She looked up, surprised.

"It was your smile"

She couldn't help but snicker

"There it is. Be careful to not lose it again - it looks much better when you wear it." He said, turning around, and resuming his march.

Pyrrha looked at him for few seconds, then started walking too.

 _Looks like I was worried for nothing._

"I'll keep it in mind." She said.

They walked in silence for few moments when Pyrrha suddenly asked.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Hmm?"

"If I lose it again, will you help me find it?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing. What are friends for?"

Pyrrha smiled, and nodded too. She noticed his eyes were glowing again.

"See any more Grimm?"

He looked around.

"No, but I think there is large group of people that way." He said.

"You think it's where the relics are?"

"Dunno. Only one way to find out." He turned around, and started moving forward.

She followed.

* * *

 **Cr00cy: Well some action in this chapter. I decided to not change partners, or teams - mostly because I didn't want to try and come up with team names.**

 **Also - I made Grimm smarter. It always bothered me in the show that for all (or at least most) of first three seasons Grimm never appeared as too much of a threat - maybe beside Breach. So I want to make them at least a bit more dangerous.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Here is another Samantha short (brought to you by JJD):**

* * *

 **Dancer**

They sat together along the old wooden bridge spanning the town's river, an ice cream in their hands, leisurely tossing bread into the water and watching the fish take the morsels under. It was becoming something of tradition of them, meeting like this and talking about…anything really...family, school, life in general. Always here, on the old wooden bridge just outside town. It was their place.

He looked over to her. "Hey Sam."

She eyed him over her cone. "What's up?"

"You ever think about what you're going to do, you know, when you grow up?"

He watched as she considered for a moment, tossing bits of bread into the moving water.  
"What brought this on?" She asked.

He sighed and broke off some more bread. "Well, we always talk about me becoming a Hunter. Me getting out of here." He shrugged. "So, I wanted to know what your plans are."

She took a few more licks of her cone. "You promise not to laugh?"

He barked a laugh. "Sam, I'm about the furthest thing away from a Hunter as can be, and we still talk about it non-stop. What could you possibly want to do that's more ridiculous than that?"

She mumbled something almost inaudible.

"What?"

"Wannabanncer." She rushed out.

He shook his head. "What?"

"I want to be a dancer!" She shouted.

That sat in silence, with Sam dutifully studying the remains of her ice cream.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What made you decide on that?" He asked.

She looked towards the sky and kicked her feet hanging over the rail. "I just want to do something different you know? To get out, to travel the world." She smiled at him, her confidence building. "I could go from inn to inn, singing and dancing, never living the same day twice."

He smiled back. "That sounds like fun."

"I know, right!?" She paused for a moment, then cocked her head at him. "You still trying to learn the guitar?"

He laughed. "Trying is the key word there."

She stared out into the flowing water once more. "Maybe...maybe one day, we can perform together." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Will you play for me Jaune, when I dance?"  
He grinned. "I'd love to."

* * *

 **AN: Well I think I should mention few things about Samantha. She initially appeared only in one omake - but then I decided to put her in prologue too, and then decided she turned out to be too interesting character to just forget about her. This shorts happens in roughly chronological order - so far everyone happened before prologue. There will be two, maybe three more form before Jaune left with leon. Then few more before rest of the cast meets her.**

 **She is important character for story, because she had big impact on Jaune. Even initially, when she was supposed to appear only in single omake she helped him take important step forward. Well that's it for now. Please consider leaving a review.**

 **See ya next week.**


	7. Of Scorpions and Sloths

**Welcome to ch 6 of TPA. Edited like always by JJD.**

* * *

 **CH 6**

Jaune looked around, let out a tired sigh, and shook his head.

 _Nope. No way. It's too early, and I'm too sober to deal with THAT._

He thought, turning away.

His partner looked at him with surprise.

"Jaune, where are you going?"

"As far away from this," he motioned to the scene behind him, "as I can."

Pyrrha looked shocked.

"But… shouldn't we help them?"

Jaune turned and spared a quick glance at what was happening behind him. Two words came to mind.

'Chaos', and 'Madness'.

Following the high concentration of Aura he spotted earlier, they had come upon a large clearing. There they found four other students - which was good news. They also noticed some ruins - probably where relic were hidden. This was also good news.

The bad news was that there was also a gigantic Deathstalker. It was currently chasing two girls - a brunette dressed in black and white Jaune thought he recognized from somewhere. The other had long mane of blond hair that Jaune had no problem recognizing. Yang turned, fired a few shots at the scorpion-like Grimm, and continued running.

The beast hissed and screeched, trying to catch the annoying humans.

A short girl, dressed in pink and white, swirled her warhammer over her head. She was currently sitting at the Deathstalker stinger, laughing maniacally, and from time to time shouting something Jaune couldn't quite hear - but he thought he heard the words 'queen', and 'castle'.

Chasing the Deathstalker - or the girl riding it - was a boy dressed in green.

He shot his partner a deadpan glare.

She coughed. "I-I mean… I really think we should…"

A loud screech echoed somewhere above them. Jaune and Pyrrha looked up to see a giant Nevermore. It was flying in zigzags, rising, and dropping, making sharp turns, barrel rolls and other acrobatics that he was sure it shouldn't be doing. It was either drunk - or trying to shake off someone riding it. Jaune wasn't sure which idea was crazier.

He looked at his partner and raised an eyebrow.

She made to speak, but was interrupted by a loud scream.

"TREASON! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY YOUR PANCAKE QUEEN?!"

Pyrrha turned to see the Deathstalker chasing the black and yellow girls and the boy dressed in green. It apparently succeeded in shaking off the pink girl that was riding it. She was now chasing after the Grimm, swinging her weapon around wildly. It morphed, turning from warhammer to…

 _Is that..._

...a grenade launcher. She fired a few shots, causing a few pink explosions to erupt near the scorpion Grimm.

Pyrrha stared at them for few seconds, then looked up to see the Nevermore start a steep climb and roll.

She looked back at Jaune with a determined expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but was again interrupted by a loud scream - this one getting louder by the second.

"Heeeeeeeads upppppppppppppp!"

Jaune turned. Before he could even think about doing something, Yang slammed into him. They both fell, skidded for a few meters, and stopped when Jaune's back hit a tree.

He looked into lilac eyes and smiled.

"Hi, Yang."

She grinned.

"Hi there Ladykiller. Nice catch."

"Think so?"

A few seconds passed.

"Yang?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind getting off me?"

She pouted.

"You sure? We're having a moment. I think there's something between us…"

"The only thing between us right now is my armor, and some clothing."

She grinned at him.

"We can fix that…"

A startled gasp sounded behind them. Pyrrha stood there, face almost as red as her hair, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

"Wow, a celebrity. You know her Ladykiller?"

"Yeah, kinda? She's my partner…"

Yang sat up, resting slightly below his waist. She placed both hands over her heart in mock hurt.

"You're already replacing me? After everything we have been through?"

 _Does she realize where she is sitting?!_

Judging by her smirk - she did.

"Yang… we met like two days ago, and have talked like, two times."

It was then that Pyrrha finally managed to regain her composure. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked directly at the… woman, currently sitting on her partner and made to speak.

Only to be interrupted by a scream for the third time in the span of five minutes. All three of them looked up to the source of the loud screech.

The Nevermore, apparently desperate to get rid of its unwanted passengers, decided to dive bomb toward the ground. At some point, something white and something red, fell off the giant bird Grimm's back. Two silhouettes started growing rapidly, as they closed to earth. Both turned out to be girls - and Jaune recognized both of them.

 _Is that Weiss? And…_

"Ruby!" Shouted Yang, getting up and sprinting towards where her sister would be landing.

Jaune sighed, got up, and walked towards his partner. For a moment, he hoped the Nevermore would hit the ground and kill itself, but it managed to pull up at last second. He stared at the scene for a few seconds and gave a tired sigh.

"I really hope this isn't a preview of how my life at Beacon will go." He said pinching the bridge of his nose.

He shook his head and walked forward.

"Come on," he said to Pyrrha, "I guess we have no choice but get involved now."

Both Ruby and Weiss reached the ground safely. The former was caught by her sister, the latter slowed her descent using her glyphs, and landed gracefully. The Witcher and his partner jogged up to three girls.

 _A total of eight people, against two giant Grimm. It's going to be rough._ He analyzed their current situation.

 _At least we have some heavy hitters. Now, how we should play this out? Split up, or focus on one? Damn, I've never fought a Deathstalker… what were their weak points?_ _Eyes… and I think their belly is less armored_.

He looked around. They had a lot of open space, and the terrain was relatively even. That meant it would be easier to maneuver - perfect scenario for taking on a hulking beast like the Deathstalker.

Or rather it would be, if not for the Nevermore. Open terrain meant it had a clear view of them, and they had nowhere to hide from its spear-like feathers. This made fighting the Deathstalker much harder.

 _Probably would be best to retreat to the forest. But that's easier said than done…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shout.

"Jaune!" A very excited Ruby appeared before him in a flurry of rose petals.

"What's up Ruby?" He nodded at her, but didn't take his eyes off the Grimm.

She smiled brightly at him, and started waving her hands and speaking excitedly.

"It's awesome! Listen, when I landed I wanted to find Yang, or you, but I found Weiss instead. I thought she would be angry at me because I ran into her luggage and exploded…"

 _She did what?_

"Then we fought together, and she said I'm good, and that my baby is impressive…"

 _Her WHAT?_ He shook his head. _Focus. This is not a time for small talk._

"Ruby." He interrupted her when she started her tale of how she and her partner rode the giant Nevermore.

She looked at him and tilted her head quizzically.

"Not now. Let's leave this for after we finish initiation, ok?"

She blushed a little, and nodded.

They walked towards Yang and Weiss. He spared a single nod towards the heiress and continued walking towards the three people still fighting the Deathstalker.

Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 _Look. See. Understand. Plan._

The Witcher opened his eyes, and started to run towards the giant Grimm. His companions followed him.

There will be time for chat later. Now was time to kill some monsters.

* * *

Ruby bit her lower lip as she followed Jaune towards the Deathstalker.

 _Focus Ruby! You can't get over excited like that!_

The young Huntress shook her head. Here she was, acting like a kid again. She really needed to get a hold of herself.

She spared a glance at her partner. Weiss was walking slightly behind Jaune, eyes focused on the Nevermore. Ruby was frankly a little afraid of her - and their little incident from day before hadn't helped. Thankfully, the heiress didn't seemed to mind - all she said was to be more careful in the future.

Ruby looked at Jaune again - more precisely at his weapons: a simple sword and shield. They didn't seemed to have any cool transformations - but she was ok with that. Classics had their own charm too, and not many people could appreciate it.

She looked over their small group, and a thought struck her.

Jaune was in the center. On his left was Weiss and on his right Pyrrha Nikos - _the_ Pyrrha Nikos! Her sister was next to her, talking about something.

Ruby smiled and ran up to walk beside her partner.

 _Heh, we look like superhero team walking to fight giant monsters! This is so cool!_

* * *

"So you got a plan Ladykiller?" The blond brawler asked.

The Witcher just shrugged.

"Kill Grimm. Grab relics. Finish Initiation. Don't die or suffer crippling injuries in the process."

Yang just shook her head, and Ruby smiled.

 _Heh, that sounded like something uncle Qrow would say._ Ruby thought. Of course her new friend wasn't as awesome as her uncle - no one was - but he was closer than anyone Ruby knew.

After a second of thought, he started speaking.

"Guess we focus on Deathstalker first. It's heavily armored, but still easier to take down than a Nevermore that size."

"But we don't have to fight them at all, do we?" Someone said.

Only when everyone focused on her, Ruby realised it was her. She squirmed under the sudden attention.

"I-I mean we just need to get relics right?"

They continued to stare, so she continued to speak.

"So...we could just run in, grab the relics, and kinda run away?" She started poking her index fingers together. "I-it's just idea. I mean, if we don't have to fight them…" she trailed off, looking at her feet.

"And a good one." She looked up, to see the sole male in they group giving her a smile and nod.

"Ok, Pyrrha, me and Yang will join with those three. Weiss, you try to keep Nevermore off us. Ruby, you…" He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak again. He didn't get a chance.

Suddenly, Ruby pulled out what he assumed was her weapon. It shifted, and morphed, and moment later the massive blade of scythe impaled itself into ground. The clearly visible barrel confirmed that yes, it was also a gun.

The red Huntress dropped to one knee, finger at the trigger.

The Witcher did the same, turning around and raising his shield - to both give the sniper behind him better view on target, and cover her from any attack.

Before he even touched ground, the first shot rang out, followed shortly by two more. The giant Nevermore that was about to rain feathers on the three teens fighting Deathstalker, recoiled, let out an angry squawk, and flew away.

 _Three shots in less than three seconds after deploying her weapon. All three hit moving target around three hundreds meters away._ The Witcher smiled. _She is good._

"Ruby, you have AP ammo? Or Dust?"

"No, only standard."

 _Yeah, it would be too easy, wouldn't it?_

"Ok, then focus on distracting the Nevermore. Don't waste ammo trying to kill it, you would need something bigger for that. Weiss cover her."

He looked around "Everyone ready?"

They nodded.

"Ok, let's go!"

* * *

 _Damn, I wish I knew what I'm doing._

The young Witcher winced.

 _It was usually Leon who was doing the planning… and we almost never worked with so many people…_

The people fighting Deathstalker noticed incoming reinforcements and started backing off, trying to join with them.

 _Ok, focus. You know the basics of group combat, and Leon always said you got knack for this strategy stuff._

He could hear the Nevermore screech - that turned into a surprised squawk when one of Ruby's bullets hit it.

All six teens finally joined and faced the giant scorpion-like Grimm.

 _Hey, maybe someone else will take charge? There are six people here, and one of them is a celebrity…_

"So we joined them. What's next Ladykiller?"

 _Damn it Yang._

He spared a quick glance at his companions. All eyes were focused at him. He sighed.

 _Ok, let's do it. Six people, five with range. But only Hammer-girl and maybe Yang have enough punch to really damage this thing._

The Deathstalker was almost upon them.

The blond Witcher took a deep breath and spoke.

"Pyrrha with me, we go from the front. Focus on defending, we will try to lock it in place." His partner nodded, raising her shield and reading her spear.

"Yang, Hammer-girl - flank it and try to break it legs." Yang winked at him and dashed right. The other girl smiled brightly, and with far more enthusiasm than the situation warranted, dashed left.

"Green, Black - see if you can disable its stinger. If not, just keep shooting at it, keep it distracted."

They nodded, and started to circle around the beast, peppering it with shots.

 _Ok, let's hope this will work. And that we won't kill each other._

He nodded to his partner, and they both charged at Grimm. It screeched, and swang its pincers at them.

The Witcher let it slide off his shield, wincing at the force of blow. He tried to cut the thing off, but his sword just skidded off the creature's armor. His partner lashed out too - and with much better results. Pyrrha's spear reached one of its eyes, causing creature to screech again - but this time in pain.

More of this followed when Yang slammed her fist into its right middle leg. She didn't manage to break it off - but a loud crack and the way Grimm staggered indicated it was damaged. Soon after, a hammer slammed into left hind leg - breaking it off.

It wobbled, trying to regain its balance.

The hammer slammed into the joint of its front left leg, breaking it.

It tried to turn around and crush the offender in its pincers.

A kite shield stopped its movement. A moment later, a sharp blade bit into the joint connecting its arm. It didn't cut the pincers off - but they were no longer usable.

Grimm tried to grab the culprit in its other pincers.

Another shield stopped it, and a red spear buried itself into its eye.

It screeched in pain, and swung its healthy pincer, knocking the attacker away.

A gauntlet slammed into the joint of its right front leg, breaking it.

It reared its tail, ready to stab.

A black ribbon wrapped around it holding it in place. Moments later, the black haired boy jumped at the Deathstalker's stinger, shooting and slashing it, knocking the appendage off.

"Back off!"

At the Witcher's, command everyone jumped back a few steps. The Grimm tried to regain its balance - and failed. It staggered from side to side, eventually crashing down. It tried to stand up again - but its remaining legs couldn't support its weight.

 _I guess we could just leave it like that…_

His eyes narrowed.

 _But leaving a live Grimm behind is never a good idea._

He opened his mouth to speak - but a loud screech interrupted him.

"Watch out!" Ruby screamed. They all spread out. A moment later, spear-like feathers rained down on them. Apparently the Nevermore realized that two annoying humans can't hurt it too much - so it decided to focus on the bigger group.

 _Damn, forget about that one. Guess I'll have to come up with plan to deal with Birdy too…_

Seconds after the Nevermore finished its attack, Ruby appeared in front of him.

"You ok Jaune?"

"Yeah. But I think we will have to take that thing down after all." He said nodding towards the flying Grimm, who was now circling back, preparing for another attack. Ruby smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I have a plan!"

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Mind sharing it? From what I saw no one here has a gun big enough to take down that damn bird,"

Ruby smiled in way that almost made her look vicious. Almost. She looked more adorable than anything.

"Well, let's just say I found something bigger to shoot the Nevermore with. But I'll need few people to help me."

"Who?"

"Weiss, Yang, and the girl with the bow."

He looked at her for a few seconds, then just shrugged and nodded.

"Ok. Rest of us will be able to deal with Deathstalker.."

She cheered and ran off to her sister.

 _Heh, adorable._

He looked up at the Nevermore who was still circling around. Then a thought struck him.

 _Hmm.. I find girl with a giant sniper-scythe talking about killing giant Grimm adorable… I think there is something wrong with me…_

He shook his head. Then jumped to the side, and rolled to avoid another rain of feathers.

 _Now what to do? We could try to grab the relic and run, but grouping when that thing is on us is dangerous. Spread out? No, this…"_

His thought were interrupted when a decently sized boulder flew through air, narrowly missing the flying Grimm. Two more quickly followed, a third one catching beast's tail, eliciting a loud screech. It turned toward the source of this sudden assault - the ruins where the relics were hidden. And the place where Ruby ran off with the three girls she mentioned.

Jaune could see her now. Standing on top of a broken pillar ponting at Nevermore. A moment later, the next boulder flew out, just barely missing the Grimm. The beast reared, preparing to rain its feathers on the humans below.

The next boulder caught it straight in the chest. It tried to regain its balance, but more shots soon followed. The beast fell, hitting the ground hard. It somehow managed to stand up and let out a loud screech. It was cut short when another boulder hit it right in the head. It crawled up again and tried to fly off - but cleary had trouble catching its balance.

The next thing that flew out of ruins was not a boulder. It was smaller, red, and much more deadly. Ruby traveled the hundred meters that separated her from the bird Grimm in less than a second. Her scythe wrapped around creatures neck, dragging it back. There was a moment of suspension, when the young Huntress was just hung in the air - and then the Nevermore's head was separated from its body.

The Witcher took a deep breath, and slowly let it go.

 _Cool. But too dangerous. This is not damn circus to be showing off like that._

He took another deep breath, held it and let go.

 _Well, I guess it worked out._ He looked back to Deathstalker - which was still trying to get up. And to remove Pyrrha's spear, still lodged into its eye.

He motioned to his partner to follow, and walked towards the hammer wielding girl and green clad boy. They were talking… well more like the girl was talking, and boy only nodded from time to time.

"You saw that Renny? It was. SO. COOL!"

"Yes Nora."

"She just flew at that Nevermore and took it's head off!"

"Yes Nora."

"You think we could do something like that too? If I hit you with Magnhild REALLY hard, I'm sure you could fly even faster!"

"I don't think that is a good idea Nora."

She paused for a moment, looked lost in thought.

"You sure?" She finally asked.

The boy just nodded. The girl, apparently named Nora, stared at him for few seconds, then just shrugged.

"Oh, well. What kind of pancakes will you be making today? I want blackberry. Or maybe strawberry? Oh, banana ones!"

The black haired boy just sighed. Jaune blinked.

 _That was...random._

He and his partner approached the other pair. He coughed to get their attention.

"Hey, how about we wrap things up here, and finish initiation? I don't know about you, but I could really use shower and meal."

He extended his hand towards the boy. "I'm Jaune Arc by the way."

"Lie Ren." He said

"I'm Nora!" Hammer-girl exclaimed.

He nodded, and after Pyrrha introduced herself - not that it was needed - they walked back towards the Deathstalker - who managed to pull off Pyrrha's spear and toss it aside.

"So how are we doing this?" Asked Ren.

"Take out the rest of its legs, should be easy now. I'll pin down its tail. It's not too dangerous now that stinger is gone, but it can still hurt."

"Isn't that a bit.., excessive? It's not dangerous anymore - I mean it can't even stand." Said Pyrrha. She ran off moment earlier to retrieve her weapon, and now was staring at her partner with a complicated expression.

The Witcher just sighed.

"It's a Grimm. A big one. It stops being dangerous when it's dead - not a second earlier. We managed to almost take it out with no casualties. I'm not taking any chances."

She started at him for a few moments, then nodded.

"Pyrrha, when we immobilize it, you get on top of it, and try to finish it off. Nora - help her."

A few moments later, Pyrrha's spear slammed into the now completely immobilized Grimm head. Its armor provided too thick to be pierced so easily - but one solid hit from Nora's hammer fixed that.

Then they joined four girls in the ruins and grabbed their relics.

 _Now the only thing left to do is get the hell out of this forest. Preferably without running into any more giant Grimm._

* * *

Jaune fell on his bed and looked around the dorm room. It wasn't too big, but not really small either. Certainly big enough to house their four person team. Team JNPR. His team.

 _So… team leader, huh? Not sure how I feel about that._

He looked around. His teammates were unpacking, chatting all the while. He just laid there for few moments looking at them. Slowly, a small smile crept up on his face.

 _I did it. I got into Beacon._

"Jaune? Why aren't you unpacking?" Asked Pyrrha.

He sat up and shrugged.

"Most of my stuff still hasn't been delivered yet." When he noticed her questioning gaze, he continued. "My admission was a bit… sudden. Since I didn't go to combat school, I had to take a special entrance exam and… well it was all very last-minute. Didn't get a chance to grab my stuff from where I was staying."

"I see."

"So who was training you?" Asked Nora, bouncing on her bed.

"A Hunter named Leon. We met by accident, one thing kind of led to another, and he agreed to take me under his wing. We traveled together for almost four years. About six months ago, he decided I was good enough to go on my own and we separated."

"Was it hard?" asked Pyrrha.

"Are you refer to training or traveling?"

She mused for a moment.

"Both."

"Well training was hell. I thought I was going to die more than once. Leon is not one to pull his punches, and believes the best teacher is experience. He once led me into the middle of nowhere and left me there for four weeks."

Pyrrha gasped.

"That sounds...irresponsible. What if something happened to you?"

Jaune just shrugged. "Then it would mean I wasn't good enough." Seeing his partner's shocked expression, he continued.

"It's not like he just dumped me there without any preparation. It was about a year after we started traveling together. He taught me many things - not only how to kill Grimm, but also how to survive in the Wilds."

He paused for a moment then added.

"You can say it was my end-of-year exam. And he didn't actually abandoned me - he was in the area the whole time. Found a few traces of him camping there." Jaune smiled at the memory.

"Leon always played this tough, uncaring type, but he has a soft heart, and a protective streak a mile wide. We once chased one guy all the way to Mistral and back to Vale just because he stole from one of Leon's friends."

"Did you break their legs?" Nora asked.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, and Ren waived her off.

"He sounds like an interesting person." Said Ren.

Jaune chuckled. "Oh he is."

"Maybe you can introduce us one day." Pyrrha said with a small smile.

"I would love to. But I doubt it will happen anytime soon. He travels a lot, and he hates big cities. He only comes to one when he really has to."

"So how was traveling with him? It must have been sooooooo exciting!" Nora shouted.

Jaune laughed.

"Oh yeah, it was. We traveled all over Remnant. At first it was rough, but before I knew it I was hooked on this traveling stuff. I got it so bad I couldn't even sleep well if we stayed in one place for more than a week."

He looked over his team.

"So, how about you guys? I shared a bit of my story, now it's your turn."

Nora bounced to her feet and started to talk, waving her hands around.

"Well, Me and Renny are together - but not together-together, that would be weird - for like forever now. We're travelers too! Grew up in an orphanage with Sister Martha, haven't had a home-home for a long time now. There was an old Huntsman that lived nearby, he taught us how to fight, and helped us get our weapons." She made explosion noises with her mouth and fired imaginary guns. She smiled wistfully. "Sister Martha hated that last part. And then we came to Beacon, because, well Beacon! Soon we'll start our own business selling Ursa skin rugs." She finished with a flourish of her arms.

Ren sighed. "Nora, we've been through this, you can't sell Grimm pelts."

Jaune smiled. "Hey man, don't crush her dreams."

"Yeah Renny!" Nora cried out.

Ren shot him a smirk. "You'll soon learn the dangers of encouraging her. That dream is your problem now."

Jaune laughed nervously.

Nora ignored them both, tapping her finger against her lip. "What else?" She considered as she continued her perpetual bouncing.

"Oh! Renny makes best pancakes in the world. And I like sloths...a lot." She added, then nodded to herself and sat back on her bed, bouncing up and down.

Pyrrha stared at her for few moments, trying to figure out what to do with this random information.

Ren just shook his head and mouthed 'let it go.'

"Nora and I have been lucky enough to benefit from the kindness of strangers, much like yourself Jaune. Sister Martha and Butch helped us get to where we are."

Jaune smiled at the green clad boy. "Hey, my mom always says that strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet." He considered the boy for a moment. "Did you say Butch? As in a Hunter named Butch? Guy with a beard that he was way too proud of?"

"Renny, he knows Butchy! Our meeting has been foretold in the stars!" Nora jumped in.

"Nora, I'm fairly certain that stars don't work that way." He stared at Jaune, daring him to contradict him this time. "I can't believe you've met Butch, small world. Where at?"

"We worked a job together when I was still training under Leon. He lost the beard by the way, said he shaved it for a woman."

Pyrrha made an 'awww' noise in the background.

Ren smiled. "Yes, Sister Martha. I'm afraid Nora is to blame for that one."

"Cause I'm cupid! Spreading love with my grenade launcher!" Nora exclaimed as she covered the room in imaginary grenades.

"Nora, I don't think that…" Pyrrha started before Jaune placed a warning hand on her shoulder, much to Ren's amusement.

He sighed.

 _This is the girl that rode on stinger of giant Deathstalker… honestly, 'normal' is not something I should be expecting from her._

"So, how about you Pyrrha?" He asked his partner.

She shuffled nervously. "Well, I'm from Mistral. And it looks like I'm only one here who went to combat prep school."

"How was it?"

"Well… normal. No one would dump us in middle of the forest for four weeks. It was mostly a normal school, but with combat and Grimm-related classes. In the third year, it became more combat focused. In the middle of third year, a few of the best students were taken out to assist veteran hunters on some routine mission. It wasn't anything big - we encountered a few Beowolves, and that was it."

Nora stopped bouncing for a moment. "Waaaaiiiittttt. Aren't you that really famous champion chick?"

Pyrrha stared at the floor. "I suppose I am."

Jaune readied himself to steer the conversation away from the subject when Nora beat him to it.

"Cool! We should fight to the death sometime!"

"Nora, we're not fighting anyone to the death, especially our teammates." Ren corrected.

"What about to the pain?"

"Still no." He confirmed.

She let out an exasperated sigh, and fell back on the bed.

The suddenly sat up with shy smile.

"Then.. how about to the pancake?"

Ren shook his head as Pyrrha burst out laughing.

Jaune made to speak, but a sharp pain in his right hand stopped him. He could also feel a dull pounding in his head - a sign of an oncoming migraine.

 _Oh well,_ he though wincing, _it was bound to happen sooner or later._

"Jaune? What's wrong?" His partner asked.

He shot her a smile and shrugged.

"Just a little headache. Happens from time to time when I overdo it with my Semblance."

Seeing her worried expression, he quickly added.

"I'll be fine. Just need to sleep it off. Speaking of which - it's getting late, so I think we should call it a day. We have lessons tomorrow after all."

They all agreed. Since the girls already took a shower, and Ren was busy explaining to Nora why they couldn't go to Vale zoo to steal a sloth and make it their team mascot, Jaune went to the bathroom. He closed the door, and carefully took off an armored glove and started examining his right hand.

 _Well, it could be worse._ He thought. Most of it was pitch black - like the blade his longsword. Or Harrowed skin.

He looked over the limb, flexing his fingers, noticing several black veins that pulsated in rhythm with his heart. He didn't lie to Pyrrha - this was an effect of overusing his semblance. More precisely - mixing a few elixirs, and activating Eclipse - even if it wasn't a full awakening.

He would be fine the next morning - partial corruption like that wasn't dangerous as long as he had his Aura. All he needed was some rest and to not to do anything too crazy.

Jaune shrugged and undressed. He took quick shower, and after he was done, applied a bit of special salve on his right hand. It would ease the pain, and quicken healing.

When he returned to the room. Nora was already in her bed. He walked over to his, and after brief consideration, took off his jeans and went in. After a few moments Ren walked out of bathroom. Four 'good nights' sounded off, lights were turned off, and team JNPR fell fast asleep. Thankfully, no one asked their team leader why he chose to sleep with a glove on his right hand.

* * *

 **AN: And that wraps up initiation. We start… 'normal' Beacon days now. Just a word of warning - I may or may not mess up with timing of events here.**

 **I initially wanted to skip fight vs Deathstalker and Nevermore. But then I realized I would be missing out on a perfect scene for introducing Nora and Ren to story. Turns out writing our female Thor is much easier than I thought - just come up with bunch of insane things and you are set.**

 **JJD: I think that one think Cr00cy and I have both been adamant about is capturing the family dynamic of JNPR. It's one of the things that makes the show, and so we've been careful (read spent hours debating about it) to try to make sure we do it justice.**

 **Anyway - here is another Samantha short, written by JJD:**

 **JJD: Sam is my new favorite character.**

* * *

 **Stole the song 'Spanish Lady' from Celtic Woman. It's good, give it a listen.**

"Sam, I don't know about this." Jaune started nervously.

"You want to go to the fair right?" She questioned.

"Well, yeah."

"But we don't have any cash." She continued.

"True."

"And you play the guitar."

"A little." He admitted.

"And I dance." She proclaimed proudly.

"So you do."

Her eyes narrowed. "I dance well, don't I Jaune?"

He waived his hands excitedly, "Very well! The best!"

She smiled. "The we don't have a problem! We'll play in the town square and rake in the cash!"

"I just don't know how well that's going to work. We're not exactly pros."

"You're being a downer Jaune." She chastised him. "Everybody starts somewhere, and you promised me!"

He hung his head in defeat. "So I did."

"Then let's rock this place!" She exclaimed.

He sighed. "When do we start?"

"As soon as you grab that damn guitar."

"Language!"

Jaune tuned his guitar from his place on the fountain in the town square, as he watched Sam slowly walk her way through the steps, prepping for the performance.

People had started to slow their walks, looking on in curiosity as the couple set their stage.

He strummed his guitar once more, nodding in appreciation of the sound.

"You ready Sam?"

She huffed. "I was born ready."

He chuckled as he launched into the song, watching Sam start the familiar steps of the dance.

She began to sing.

 _As I came down through Vacuo City_

 _At the hour of twelve at night_

 _Who should I see but the Sanus Lady_

 _Washing her feet by candlelight_

 _First she washed them, then she dried them_

 _Over a fire of amber coal_

 _In all my life I never did see_

 _A maid so sweet about the soul_

He nodded along, watching as Sam increased her pace, spinning in place.

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

People had started to gather now, some beginning to clap in time with the music.

 _As I came back through Vacuo City,_

 _At the hour of half past eight_

 _Who should I spy but the Sanus Lady_

 _Brushing her hair in the broad daylight_

 _First she tossed it, then she brushed it_

 _On her lap was a silver comb_

 _In all my life I never did see_

 _A maid so fair since I did roam_

Sam had completely abandoned the normal steps, starting in on her own version of the dance. Jaune strummed faster, struggling to keep up with her.

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

The crowd had grown exponentially, the townsfolk stomping in time with the music, smiles wide on their faces.

 _As I went back through Vacuo City_

 _As the sun began to set_

 _Who should I spy but the Sanus Lady_

 _Catching a moth in a golden net_

 _When she saw me, then she fled me_

 _Lifting her petticoat over her knee_

 _In all my life I never did see_

 _A maid so shy as the Sanus Lady_

Sam's feet were a blur, barely seeming to touch the ground. It was amazing. She was amazing.

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

 _Whack for the toora loora laddy_

 _Whack for the toora loora lay_

His hand dropped from the guitar, feeling strangely exhausted. He looked up at to see Sam give a long bow to the crowd that had gathered.

He shook his head. God she was arrogant.

Coins began raining down on them, more than they could possibly need.

Well...maybe not so arrogant.

She turned and grinned at him.

"You totally owe me ice-cream."


	8. First day of the rest of your life

**And here comes ch 7 of TPA. JJD is editor-in-chief, as usual.**

* * *

 **CH 7**

It was a peaceful morning in Beacon. All the new students fast asleep in the beds, getting well deserved rest after completing their initiation. Soon, they would have to get up and start their first day of school - but for now, they all could rest for a bit longer.

Well, all of them except one team. A tall figure stood in team JNPR's room, looking over the sleeping teens. They were so peaceful, so calm. So defenseless.

The figure's mouth stretched in an evil, vicious smile. It reached into its pocket and pulled out a small item. If someone would have been watching the scene, they would surely have gasped in shock and understanding of what was about to befall the young students sleeping peacefully in their beds. Alas, there was none who were watching, no one to stop the mysterious figure from executing its evil plan.

The sharp tone of a whistle sounded impossibly loud in the quiet room. Nora jumped straight up, her pillow held in hand, ready to throw it at the source of the noise.

Pyrrha tried to roll out of her bed, but got tangled in her covers, and fell. She groaned loudly, then decided that trying to free herself was not worth the effort, so she just curled in the fetal position and tried to go back to sleep.

Ren sat on his bed and raised a single eyebrow.

Jaune smiled and put the whistle back in his pocket.

"Wake up sleepy heads. We only have an hour and a half until classes starts. We don't want to be late on our first day, do we?"

Nora's pillow dropped from her hands as she turned to Ren and shouted. "Renny! It's our first day, they'll be pancakes, and Grimm, and cliques! We have to find a good clique Renny, tv told me so! Oh, I'm so nervous!" She bolted towards the bathroom.

Ren shook his head, and started his morning stretching routine.

The only response from Pyrrha was some muffed mumbling.

Jaune walked towards his partner, and gently shook her.

"Come on Pyrrha, it's time to get up."

More mumbling.

"No Pyrrha, you can't go back to sleep. Just get up, the longer you drag this out the worse it gets."

There were some more mumbling, and the cocoon made of blankets and his partner tightened.

Jaune sighed.

"Pyrrha if you don't get up now, I'm afraid I will be forced to use more forceful methods."

The cocoon tightened even further. One green eye peeked out, staring at him menacingly.

"Ok, you have been warned."

Jaune walked towards his bed and pulled something from under it. Pyrrha gasped and actually sat up when she noticed what her partner and team leader had in his hands.

"You wouldn't." She said.

"How much are you willing to bet on that statement?" He answered with a half-smile.

"You can't. You … you are our team leader, shouldn't you be looking out for us?"

"But I am! Just imagine what would happen if we were late to class on our very first day. Our reputation would be ruined. As team leader I simply cannot allow this to happen."

He smiled at her.

"Come on Pyrrha, you're already awake. Just get up. Don't force me to use this." He said, lifting bucket full of, no doubt ice-cold, water.

Pyrrha stared at him for a few moments, looking for any indication he might be bluffing. When she found none, she untagled herself, and mumbling something about merciless tyrants, gathered her clothes and joined Nora in the bathroom.

"That was dangerous." said Ren.

Jaune looked at him at shrugged.

"We are training to fight giant monsters that exist for sole purpose of killing us. What's a little more danger?"

Ren just shook his head.

After they all got ready, they went to cafeteria to grab some food. Pyrrha, after a lot of grumbling and complaining, finally forgave him for the sudden wake-up call.

"So what is our first lesson?" Asked Ren after taking sip of his tea.

"Grimm Studies with professor Peter Port." Answered Pyrrha. She just finished her sandwich and was checking their schedule on her scroll.

"Port?" Asked Jaune, fork with scrambled eggs on beacon stopping just before his mouth.

"You know him Jaune?" His partner asked.

"Just by reputation. He is pretty famous in certain circles."

"Famous? What for?" Asked Nora excitedly.

"Well, he is old, but still an active Hunter." Answered Jaune and coming back to his breakfast.

"He is…an old Hunter? And that makes him famous?" Asked Nora, disappointment clearly visible on her face.

Jaune paused, looked over his team, and sighed.

 _They really don't get it, do they?_

"No Nora. He is an old, _active_ Hunter."

They still stared at him. He just shook his head.

"Do you guys know the average retirement age of Hunters?"

None of them answered, so he continued.

"Around 40 years old. Most stop being active much earlier - around 30-35. Just to clarify - by 'active' I mean the ones who go out in the Wilds. The most common reason for retirement is either because they started a family, or because they are no longer capable of fighting. Sometimes it means they got crippled. Those are lucky ones." He didn't say what happened to unlucky ones. Judging by how his teammates shifted nervously, he didn't need to.

 _Ok, maybe I shouldn't be saying this…_

He sighed and continued.

"Peter Port is well over sixty, and he regularly visits the wilds. Not even the frontier - but what we call the 'Deep Wilds'." Jaune looked every one of his teammates in the eye, his face completely serious.

"My teacher was always saying that to survive as Hunter you need three things: skill, determination, and experience. The older you are, the more of them you have - and need. Since professor Port survived that long, and is still active - I can only imagine how much of the three he has." Jaune finished, and looked at his teammates. They seemed contemplative.

 _Looks like they finally got it._ He smiled, and finished his breakfast.

"I guess that means we will have to pay close attention to what he is saying." Said Pyrrha with small smile.

"Yeah! Maybe he knows how to skin an Ursa. We could ask him, and then we could start selling them! We…"

"Nora."

"Yes, Ren?"

"Finish your breakfast. We need to go to class soon."

"Ok Renny!".

"Well, I don't think he knows that." Said Pyrrha carefully. "But I'm sure that his lesson will be very interesting nonetheless."

* * *

 _This is not interesting! It's not interesting AT. ALL!_

Pyrrha shot her partner an evil glare. Or tried to. That would require energy - something she found herself severely lacking at the moment. And she wasn't the only one. In fact, most of the classroom seemed to be out. Some people were talking quietly to friends, some played games on they scrolls. There were few who looked like they were actually paying attention, but they were minority. Most of students were fast asleep. The only reason she was not among them was iron discipline.

And her partner. Jaune seemed to be not affected at all by the mind-numbing tales of their professor. He was twirling his pen between his fingers, stopping from time to time to scribble something in his notebook. The whole time he was focused on talking man.

Pyrrha, with titanic effort, tried to do the same.

 _A reason. There has to be one for all of this._

But what? Pyrrha couldn't figure it out. Maybe there was some meaning hidden in this ridiculous story? Some message? She vaguely recalled her third year in combat school and a mission she was taking part in. One of Hunters she accompanied told her that in the Wilds you often have to spend days, or weeks with nothing happening - but you can't let your guard down. Attacks can come at any time.

Was that it? Was this tale just distraction, a test to see if they could remain vigilant even under extreme circumstances? She looked left, where two of her teammates sat. Nora was lying on her desk, snoring quietly and from time to time mumbling something about pancakes and sloths. She was one of the first victims of professor Port's tale.

Ren was sitting up, pencil in hand and focused on his notebook, taking notes. Or rather he might have tried once upon time - his hand stopped moving about halfway through lesson. Judging by his breathing, he was fast asleep too. Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to join the two.

Instead she looked right, towards her team leader. He, unlike Ren, was actually taking notes. And by the look of it - he'd made quite a few of them. He was looking at their professor intensely, nodding from time to time.

 _What?! What do you see here? How can you be so focused? What am I missing?_

Was it this a "practice vs book smarts" thing? Was Jaune able to catch something in the old Hunter's tale because he had practical experience? Pyrrha yet again recalled her short trip in the field. Indeed, she learned quite a few things there. Things that were not covered in textbooks, that maybe weren't necessary to know - but knowing them certainly helped.

Her eyes swept over the classroom, and students almost entirely devoid of energy.

 _Is this his Semblance? Does he suck out our energy? But where he would store it?_

She focused back on the talking man.

 _Maybe in his mustache?_

This though made her giggle a little. She shook her head, hoping to clear her mind, at least a bit.

 _No, focus on the lesson. If Jaune can see sense in it, you can too._

"I do!" A sudden shout broke Pyrrha out of her thoughts - if only because it broke the monotony of the teacher's tale.

She looked to source of the voice - Weiss Schnee was standing, her arm raised high.

 _Did she volunteer for something?_

Pyrrha lazyly scanned the classroom, and noticed a big, metal cage. It was shaking violently, a low growling escaping from within from time to time.

 _Is that… a live Grimm_?

This was… good. Very good. A live Grimm in classroom meant someone would fight it, and that meant the story would come to an end. Pyrrha smiled. She did it! She survived to the end.

She slapped her cheeks to wake up, and focused on the young heiress who was now armed, and ready to fight.

 _After this, I'll have to ask Jaune what he saw in that story. There had to be something, considering how many notes he took._

* * *

"Ahhhhhhh, it was awful. I can't believe we rushed for that." Complained Yang, stretching.

Weiss fight went as expected - the lone Boarbatusk didn't pose much challenge for the young Huntress in training.

"Don't say that. While I admit that story was… not the best, professor Port wanted to pass a valuable lesson on to us."

"And what lesson was that, Weiss-cream?" The blond brawler asked with a raised eyebrow.

The heiress stammered and looked to the side, cheeks slightly darker.

"Well Yang, don't tell me you didn't get it?" A new voice sounded. They turned around to see Jaune and his team approaching.

"Hi guys." He said, raising a hand. He turned to heiress. "Nice fight Weiss."

She smiled and nodded to him.

"Well, thank you."

"Ok, so care to enlighten us what this important lesson was, Ladykiller?"

Jaune looked at Yang and blinked a few times in surprise.

"Wait, you really didn't get it?"

She shook her head.

He looked to Ruby - but she laughed nervously, tapping her index fingers together. He looked at Blake - but she was suddenly very interested in the ceiling. He turned to Weiss - but she looked away, mumbling something under her breath.

Jaune stared at them for a few seconds

"Wa.. Bu.." He took deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"None of you got it? But it's so… obvious!" There were few seconds of awkward silence and shuffling.

Jaune just shook his head.

"What the hell did they teach you in those combat schools?"

The only answer was more silence and more shuffling.

"Guess we will have to coach these poor souls, right guys?" He said, turning towards his team.

None of them met his eyes.

"Guys?" There was no answer.

"Ren? Nora? You guys were taught by a Hunter, surely you know what I'm talking about?"

"Well.." Ren looked embarrassed when he started speaking. "Butch taught us mostly fighting. As for theory... There was a cram school nearby that taught us most of the basics. And we did a lot of self-study."

He stared at them for few seconds, then turned to his partner, eyes pleading.

"P-Pyrrha? Surely, you…"

Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair now.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Jane looked over both teams, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So, I'm the only one?"

No one said anything, but that was an answer in itself.

He sighed.

"Ok, listen. The thing about Beowolves is that…"

* * *

"How could you not know that!" Weiss practically screeched.

"Hey, who cares who led some battle fifty or so years ago? It has nothing to do with killing Grimm." Jaune defended.

"Because this is our history! Not even ancient history - modern history! We still feel the repercussions of these events!"

"Really? Strange, because I didn't feel any when I was in the Wilds trying to survive against Grimm! You know, the things that are trying to kill all of us _now_!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha interjected

"Yes?"

"Weiss does have a point. These are important things to know." She winced at look of utter betrayal on his face.

"Oh cheer up Ladykiller." Said Yang, patting him on the back. "No need to be so grumpy, just because you will have to take extra lessons with Oobleck." Jaune shot her an annoyed look, and mumbled something under his breath.

"Yeah, cheer up! It can't be worse than professor Port's class!" Ruby quipped.

"Hey, Port's class was good! At least he was talking about things that matter."

They all shot him deadpan looks.

"Jaune. No one besides you had any idea what he was talking about. No. One. I checked." Said Weiss.

"Not my fault, or his, that you all have severe lack in education. Maybe I should go to him and suggest he make extra lessons for you lot?"

There was a moment of tense silence.

"H-hey Jaune let's not go to far, ok?" Said Yang nervously.

"Y-yeah , there is no need to go that far. We were just messing around!" Ruby added.

"Messing around?" Jaune said sternly. Ruby whimpered and looked even more nervous.

"Messing around can get you killed in the field. It becomes more and more apparent that you lot need some extra lessons with an experienced Hunter." He smiled at them.

"It's good thing there are so many experienced hunters here at Beacon. I'm sure our Grimm Studies professor would be more than happy to help his students, share some of his time…"

Jaune's smile would make the Devil proud.

"... and stories."

"N-now Jaune let's be reasonable. This was just a minor slip up, I'm sure there is no need to waste the time of our esteemed professor with something this trivial." Weiss said quickly, shoving her partner to the side.

Jaune marveled for a moment at their panic.

 _Ok, this is fun, but I need to cut down on this teasing before I go too far. They will murder me in my sleep._

"I guess you are right… " he said, tapping his chin with a finger.

"Ok, stop staring at me like that. I was just joking." He said, waving his hand.

"That was NOT funny Arc." Weiss growled at him.

"I beg to differ Miss Schnee." Jaune countered with smile.

There was a moment of silence when the two of then stared at each other.

"So… are you two going to kiss now?" Yang interjected.

"As if I would ever do it with that dunce." Weiss huffed.

Jaune just shook his head.

"Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. I don't want to turn into an ice sculpture."

"It's just that you two bicker like an old couple. Wanted to make sure Ladykiller is still on menu." Said Yang, winking at him.

Weiss just sighed.

"Xiao Long, just because I'm talking with someone doesn't mean we are couple."

"Yeah, but you are nicer to him than to...well, anyone really." Said Blake.

"That's not true!"

"It kinda is…" Ruby mumbled.

Weiss glared at her.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!" The young huntress stammered, hiding behind her sister.

"Guys, how about we stop this and just get going? Next is combat class with Miss Goodwitch. I'm sure none of us want to be late for that." Jaune's proposition was met with unanimous agreement.

* * *

"Stop! The match is over. Miss Nikos wins."

Frankly, Jaune was not surprised. Between her fame as a four time champion, and what he saw during initiation, he doubted there were too many people their age that could go against his partner. Her fight, though calling what happened that was way too generous, didn't even last a minute. And it was completely one-sided from start to finish.

Pyrrha's opponent - some spear-wielding guy whose name Jaune didn't bother to remember - looked very confident when he stepped into the arena. "Finally someone who might make me break a sweat" he said just before match started.

Jaune was not sure if Pyrrha made him break sweat or not - the fight was very short after all - but she quite likely broke his nose, when her shield slammed into her opponent's face right after the match started.

He smiled when he saw his partner's extended hand to her downed opponent. His eyes narrowed at Pyrrha's hurt expression when guy swatted her hand aside.

 _It seems someone is a sore loser._

After some brief consideration he decided against having "The Talk" with guy. Afterall being a sore loser didn't quite mean he was a bad person - just that he lacked spine.

 _But I better keep an eye on him. In case he tries something._

"Next match - Miss Xiao Long vs Miss Valkyrie. Please prepare to fight."

Both girls were all too happy to comply.

 _Now this should be interesting._ Thought Jaune.

From what he could recall both fighters were very aggressive, and didn't do too many acrobatics. Well, less than most Beacon students he had seen until now.

 _Hmm… I think Nora has the advantage here. Judging by the damage they did to that Deathstalker, she hits harder, and has better range. Both are very aggressive, and prefer standoff fights._

"Begin!" Miss Goodwitch announced the start of fight. To Jaune surprise, Nora didn't charge ahead, but held her ground, content to let her opponent come.

Yang didn't make her wait long. She fired her gauntlets backwards, using the added momentum to close the distance in mere seconds. Nora swung her hammer diagonally - a wide, telegraphed attack, made more to stop her opponent's charge, than to hit her.

But strangely enough, Yang didn't stop. Instead she stepped in, narrowly avoiding the hammer's head, and blocking its haft with her left gauntlet. The right one shot towards ginger girl's face - but Nora managed to swat it aside with the handle of her weapon. Not wasting any time, she swung upwards. The blond brawler managed to backstep in time to avoid being hit - but was not prepared when Nora stopped her swing mid-way, and instead thrusted her weapon forward. The attack lacked the power to do any serious damage, but was enough to push Yang back.

Jaune nodded with approval.

 _She so good at controlling her weapon, and far more composed than one would think._

Yang kept up her assault, apparently determined to stay inside Nora's guard, and pummel her with shotgun-enhanced punches. Nora on the other hand, did what she could to stay out of the brawler's punching range. Jaune's eyes narrowed. While this was not a bad strategy, Yang was taking too many hits. Granted, most of them were glancing blows, or strikes with the haft of the hammer, and thus didn't carry too much power, but it was an extremely risky tactic.

 _Well I guess she doesn't have much of a choice, but still she takes too many hits. She could easily block most of them, without having to back away._

Jaune took a look at the Aura display. Nora's aura was barely above fifty, while her opponent was closer to sixty. Up until now Yang could score hits even if her fist was stopped by firing shotgun blast at hammer-wielder. On the other hand, Nora couldn't use her grenade launcher - not only did she not have time to switch her weapon form, but at such close range blast would hit them both.

But a few moments ago, a loud click announced that Yang was out of ammo. This, coupled with the fact that Nora was getting better at reading her attacks, meant the fight was not going well for the blond brawler. The Aura gap she had built at the beginning of the fight was closing. Not very fast, but it was clear Yang would run out first.

 _Now, what will you do Yang? You may be dictating the tempo of fight, but you've lost the momentum._

Yang's answer was to increase her tempo even more. She almost completely abandoned defense, and charged in close. She managed to grab Nora's hammer by the shaft, and pin it to the ginger girl's body. Then she started to throw punch after punch.

Nora recovered quickly. Instead of trying to wrestle her weapon free - she switched it to grenade launcher form. This forced Yang to let it go - but also created an opening. So close it was impossible for Nora to fire her weapon without hurting herself, and Yang was all too happy to use this to her advantage, and not let her opponent revert her weapon to melee form.

A golden gauntlet flew towards the face of the ginger girl. It never reached its destination though, because the rest of Yang was propelled backward by pink explosion. Nora, apparently unconcerned by proximity, fired her weapon straight at her opponent's face. Yang flew a few meters and landed heavily. She got up almost instantly though and looked up at her opponent.

Nora was right in front of her, hammer already mid-swing.

To Yang's credit - she managed to put up her guard.

To Nora's credit - she didn't let it amount to much.

The first clean hit of her hammer sent Yang flying yet again. The blond brawler just barely managed to avoid being thrown out of the ring. Nora grinned and ran at the stunned girl. She jumped hgh, readying a powerful overhead attack to end the fight.

And then Yang exploded. Flames washed over the arena, surprising everyone - not least Nora. Her surprise grew even further when Yang grabbed her hammer just below the head with one hand, and pulled. Being airborne and completely out of control of her movement, Nora could do nothing to avoid Yang's fist slamming into her stomach. She hit the floor on the opposite side of arena, letting out a loud groan.

"Match is over! Miss Xiao Long wins."

Yang helped Nora get up. They exchanged few words and laughed.

Miss Goodwitch walked up to them and started to lecture.

"Miss Valkyrie, that was a good fight. Deciding to fight defensively was a good idea, keeping Miss Xiao Long at distance too. Unfortunately, it appears you are not used to opponents fighting at such close range, I would advise to work on that. For one, you should hold your weapon closer to its center of mass, this would allow for greater maneuverability. Also, you are taking needlessly large swings. Shorter attacks would be easier to control, and harder to react to."

"Lastly - after the last attack, when you managed to knock your opponent down, you should opt to have finished the fight from range. Closing in on melee, especially in the way you did, will only give your opponent chance to counterattack - like Miss Xiao Long did."

Nora laughed and nodded. Yang shot her a grin, and nudged her in the arm.

"Miss Xiao Long, while you won the match it was only thanks to Miss Valkyrie's mistake. While seeking to lock your opponent into very close range is generally a good idea for fist fighters, you took too many hits you could have avoided. While you managed to win thanks to a combination of your Semblance and your opponent's mistake, I would advise against such aggressive fighting in the future. This could lead you into trouble against an opponent that is much faster than you, or in drawn-out fights."

Yang just nodded.

Both girls walked out of the arena, talking the whole time. Jaune smiled, and patted Nora on the shoulder when she joined them.

"That was a good fight." He said.

She laughed nervously.

"Yeah, but I got a bit too excited."

"Happens. No one is perfect - and now you know a little better what you should and shouldn't do." Said Pyrrha with encouraging smile.

There were few more matches - some more interesting than others. When they were leaving classroom Jaune was lost in thought.

 _Well, that was better than I expected. For a moment, I feared everyone here would be tournament fighters._

He shook his head.

 _Nevermind. For now there are more pressing matters to attend to._

"Hey guys." He called out to his team.

"There is something I would like to discuss. Let's head to our room, ok?" They all nodded.

* * *

Jaune looked over his team, assembled in their room for their first 'team meeting.' He was standing near the door, while his teammates sat on beds.

"Ok guys, I wanted to talk about something. This will be extension of our conversation yesterday."

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and continued.

"Since we're stuck together for at least four years, I think it is in our best interest if we learn to work together efficiently. Now, I don't expect us to become a perfectly functioning unit day one, but the earlier we start working on it the better." All of his teammates nodded in agreement.

"So, I was thinking about doing some team-building exercises, spars, come up with some strategies for different situations, and so on. But before we can do any of this, we need to know a bit more about each other."

He looked each of his teammates in the eye, trying to gauge how they would react to what he was going to say next. He learned that some people found the topic he was about to bring up very...personal.

"So today, I would like for everyone here to say a few words about how they fight. What you think are your strongest points and what are your weakest. What experience in fighting you have, and what your Semblances are."

To his relief, his teammates didn't look uncomfortable or offended by his request.

 _Damn, how nice it is to work with reasonable people._

"Ohhhhhh! Me first, me first!" Shouted Nora, raising her hand.

"Go on." Said Jaune with smile.

"So I like smashing things. Renny says I'm too reckless, and that I tend to not pay attention to my surroundings. At first I tended to hit him with Magnhild when swinging it around" She blushed a little. "He might have gotten caught up in some explosions too. But it's better now! Mostly because he learned to keep his distance…" she trailed off, looking lost in thought. Then perked up.

"Oh, and I can absorb electricity to make myself stronger."

"Absorb electricity… Does the source matter? How strong and how long of a boost you get?"

"Well, I think that as long as it's electricity I can absorb it. I constantly use my own bioelectricity to boost my strength - that's why I can wield Magnhild so easily. I've never really had much chance to try it out - but generally the stronger the current then the more power I get out of it. I can use it up all at once, or spread it over time."

Jaune nodded. That sounded useful. A bit situational - but if she had some electricity Dust on her all the time, it would be nice trump card.

"Does it hurt you when you absorb something strong?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nah, it just tingles. I got hit by lightning once - in fact that's how I discovered my Semblance."

Jaune just shook his head. Being hit by lighting to discover your Semblance? That was just so… Nora.

"Guess I'll go next." Said Ren.

"My weapons are Storm Flowers - two submachine guns with extended mags, modified to use high-impact Dust ammo, with blades attached to each - you all saw them during initiation. I'd say my biggest weakness is that they have limited range, and both forms don't have too much striking power. They are good at dealing with softer enemies, but I'll have trouble taking out something heavily armored - I tend to leave that to Nora. I'm good at hand-to-hand combat and aura manipulation." He paused for a moment to think, and made to continue, but was stopped by Nora.

"Yeah Renny is like a super Ninja! He can make Grimm explode with his bare hands!" She made an explosion noise with her mouth for emphasis.

Jaune raised eyebrow at that, and Ren just sighed.

"It is a technique I learned some time ago. You can insert a part of your Aura into Grimm. Since they are not supposed to have Aura, it tries to escape their bodies, expanding rapidly. If you insert enough, you can kill even larger ones like Ursa. It takes time however, and if you insert too little, it wont do any damage at all. So you have to either concentrate a lot in your hand and do it in single strike, or deliver several fast attacks, inserting a bit every time."

"Oh! I know what youre talking about. Saw a guy do it once with an Ursa major - it looked like he was pumping a balloon with air until it exploded," said Jaune. Ren just nodded.

"Yes, it's quite a useful skill for someone with lighter weapons like me. Anyway, my Semblance - I can make people undetectable for Grimm. But I have to remain motionless while doing so."

"Does it work at range? And is there limit to people you can mask? Also, you said 'undetectable', could you elaborate?"

Ren paused for a moment, apparently thinking over his answer.

"I can do it at distance," he said finally. "But I have to touch a solid surface with my hand, like earth, or a wall. And they have to be touching it too - with any part of their body. As soon as contact breaks, my Semblance will lose it effect. When I do it like that, the person I'm masking can move, but it's harder to keep up the further away they are. My max distance is around fifteen meters."

"I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of people I can mask - the most I've ever done was three, including myself."

"As for your last question - well, I'm not sure exactly how it works, but the moment I activate my Semblance, it looks like Grimm lose ability to perceive the person I used it on. Even if said person is in plain sight, and under Grimm attack - it would just stand there for a moment, looking confused,and then move away."

Jaune whistled. That was a pretty damn good skill to have. This "remain motionless" part was a downer, but hey, you can't have everything.

 _Well both Ren and Nora have more supportive Semblances. It shows in their fighting style - they are good with their weapons._

"So, I guess it's my turn now?" Said Pyrrha with shy smile.

He focused in on his partner talking about her weapons. Milo was three-form weapon: rifle, spear, and xiphos. Akouo was a simple round shield without any additional functions.

Jaune listened with one ear as Pyrrha described advantages and disadvantages of each form. He actually did some research on his partner. Knowing that she was a well-known celebrity and champion fighter, plus her display during initiation, and in Miss Goodwitch class, piqued his curiosity. So during launch, just before they came back to their room, he excused himself for a moment to look up an article about her, and watched some recordings of her fights. What he saw surprised him - but in hindsight shouldn't.

To put it simply - his partner was a monster. Not only talented, but also hard working, she started training at age of nine. She spared no effort, and it soon showed - the gap between her and her peers was growing by the day. Not only that, but she was apparently one of those "freak athlete" type of people - having unusually good control of her body, and thus able to perform maneuvers normal people could only dream of doing.

So when the four-time champion started talking about her 'weaknesses', all Jaune could do was smile politely and try to not burst out laughing. She looked desperate to convince everyone in the room that she had them - but all Jaune could hear was: "I never met anyone who's ass I couldn't kick with minimal effort, so I might be getting a little too confident."

 _Now, I wonder what is her Semblance is. I don't think it's a strong offensive one, or even an active one at all. People with those kind of Semblances tend to rely on them a lot, like Weiss. Maybe she..."_

"As for my Semblance - its polarity," Said Pyrrha with a slight blush. It only deepened when everyone in the room stared at her in complete silence.

 _Or, it can be something like that. Sure, why not - talented, hardworking, with Semblance that is basically a middle finger to like 99% of Hunters._

He shook his head. One thing that interested him when he was reading some article about his partner was that she apparently rarely used her Semblance in tournaments. Now he knew why - those things were organized for entertainment. People watched them to see a good fight.

They could watch one-sided masacre performed by a single girl only so many times before it got boring.

"So Fearless Leader, how about you?" Nora's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Jaune smiled.

"Well for starters my weapon - Crocea Mors. It my family heirloom - a sword and shield combo. The shield can be collapsed into sheath. It still weights the same, but at least is easier to carry. They are very durable - almost five hundreds years old, but not even a scratch on either. And I can assure you it's not because they were just gathering dust hanging above the fireplace. And that's it. They don't transform into anything. No guns, no nothing. Just two pieces of solid steel."

"I have lots of Aura, and Leon made sure I can put it to good use - so you won't see me being knocked out easily, unless it's something really ridiculous. As for my weaknesses - the biggest one is that I have very little options in terms of ranged combat. I'm good at throwing things - sometimes, if I knew I would be going up against something tougher, or just a large group, I would make some makeshift grenades, but that's it."

"Lastly, my Semblance - it's Aura strengthening. I can boost my Aura properties - like make it harder to block attacks, or speed up healing. I can use it to manipulate the effect of substances that get into my body - like neutralizing toxins, or enhancing the effects of medicines."

"That's it?" Asked Pyrrha, looking confused.

"Well, yeah. Unfortunately not everyone can have some cool, flashy, powerful Semblance."

"N-no I didn't mean it like that!" She said hastily, panic evident in her voice. Jaune winced.

 _Damn, you already forgot what happened during initiation?_

"Calm down Pyrrha. I'm not angry or anything."

She hung her head and muttered something under her breath. Jaune was willing to bet all the Lien in his wallet it was an apology of some sort.

 _For a celebrity and badass fighter, she is timid as hell._ He recalled her fight in today's class. _Well, at least outside of the arena._

"Ok, so what had you surprised Pyrrha?"

She perked up, blushed, and looked to the side.

"I-It's just that during initiation you could see Grimm and people from very far away. Even if there were trees in the way. How could you do that, if not thanks to your Semblance?"

"Yeah, Fearless Leader! You are not withholding information from us, right? Not after forcing all of us to tell everything about ourselves?"

"Nora, he didn't force us to do anything." Ren said with a sigh. Then he looked at Jaune with a small smirk.

"But I do agree that it sounds suspicious. If what Pyrrha is saying is true, the only way to accomplish such a thing that I can think of would be a Semblance. Maybe if you were a Faunus." Ren contemplated him for a moment. "I don't think you are one though. Do you?"

Jaune just hummed.

 _Well… I guess there is no real reason for me to not tell them. It's not like my elixirs are illegal or something._

"Ok, I'll tell you guys. Or rather show." He said, walking to his bed. He rummaged under it for a moment then stood up with a big wooden box. He pressed two buttons on each side, and it unfolded, showing several rows of small bottles in four colors - green, orange, red and black.

"These," he said with proud smile. "Are my Elixirs."

"Elixirs?"

"Yeah." Jaune rubbed back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "Leon took to calling them that, so I kinda started to use the name too. It's sure easier to say than what I called them at first."

"What did you call them?" Asked Nora, excitement evident on her face. "Why do the bottles have different colors and shapes? And what do the do?"

"Easy Nora, one question at the time." Said Jaune smiling.

"So, I called them Dust Enhanced Aura Boosters. Don't laugh, I was fourteen then!" He added when his team snickered. "Anyway, that basically tells you what they are - a mix of herbs and Dust that works to either boost some aspects of Aura, like healing, or that can grant you some additional benefits, like enhanced senses."

"There are few different… well I guess you can call them 'Tiers', depending on strength of the effects. That's what colors are for - green are simple herbal medicines - painkillers, stomach ache medicine, water treatment agents, stuff like that. There is none, or very little Dust in them. Anyone can use them safely, even civilians with no Aura."

"Orange are simplest Elixirs. Civilians can still take them, but there is a risk of complications, and the effects will be much weaker than if Hunter uses them. This is a category I use the most since they have little to no drawbacks. There are a few in this category, the one I use the most is the Healing enhancer. It boost the natural regeneration factor Aura gives to the user. I can make stronger versions of Orange Elixirs, but it's usually not worth the effort - the increase in effectiveness is not worth the stronger side-effects."

"The Red ones are a bit more tricky. Most of them come with some drawback - the most common is a killer migrene. I can manipulate their effectiveness by using my Semblance. Also, If anyone other than me uses them, they usually get very serious side effects. Not sure why - Leon thinks it's either because I have a lot of Aura, or because of my Semblance mitigating the negative effects."

"What kind of side-effects we are talking about?" Asked Ren.

"Disorientation, inhibited motor functions, temporary loss of sight, hearing or smell, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, temporary loss of short-term memory…" he started counting off. Pyrrha looked shocked, Nora uncertain, and Ren contemplative.

 _Hmm, interesting. Most people freak out when they hear this._

"Ok then what about the black ones?" His partner asked. Jaune smiled

"They are extremely potent - and dangerous. Most of the Black ones I make on a need-to basis, since they usually are unstable and very situational. And the side effects are quite serious - even for me. That's why I use them only when I absolutely have to."

"So what happens if someone other than you will drink one?" Asked Nora

Jaune considered his answer for a moment. Then decided there was no way to say it delicately, so he went with blunt truth.

"They will suffer heavy damage to their nervous system and be paralyzed, reduced to a vegetable-like state, or die on the spot."

There were a few seconds of silence.

"How do you…" Pyrrha started hesitantly.

"Bandits. I was experimenting with my elixirs, and passed out after drinking one. When I woke up I was tied and in a cage in some small camp. There were other kids there too. The bandits found my Elixirs, and thought it was booze. None of them survived."

There were a few more moments of silence. Nora was the one to break it.

"So why do they have different shapes?" She asked pointing at the bottles.

"So I can easily identify them in the dark." Answered Jaune, more than happy to change the subject.

"I also marked several bottles for elixirs that I use often, so if I have few of the same tier, I know which one is which."

"Ok, which one lets you see other people and Grimm through trees?" Asked Pyrrha.

"These two." He answered pulling out two bottles -one orange, and one red.

"The Orange is a Perception enhancer. It boost my sense of smell, hearing, touch - but not by much... It also makes it easier to react to quickly. It's not very dangerous, even for other people. Hell, once a civilian drank it and was fine. The only reason it's in the Orange category is because it can easily overwhelm you. I usually use my Semblance to cut off some of its effects and boost only what I need."

"The Red one I call Dawn. It's similar to the Perception enhancer - it boost my senses. It's much stronger though, and unlike PE it boost all of them - even my sense of balance. And when I combine these two - I can see the Aura of others."

There were a few seconds of stunned silence.

"That.. is interesting. I never heard of anyone who could perceive Aura. How does it work?" Asked Ren.

"I see lights. It all depends on how much Aura there is. But things like trees, and bugs usually just glow softly. Animals, and people with unawakened Aura give off a more intense light. When their Aura is awakened, It makes a sort of outline over the person's body."

"Then how can you see Grimm? They don't have Aura, right?" Pyrrha asked with hint of worry in her voice.

"No of course not. I can't see Grimm, but I can see spots where they dim the light of Aura in their surroundings." Jaune mused for a moment, then continued. "Think about it like this - if you were to look at the night sky, and something big flew over you, you wouldn't be able to see it, but could track it by observing where stars were covered."

They all nodded in understanding. Jaune looked over them and smiled.

"So any more questions?"

This time Ren was the first to speak.

"Why do you have to combine two Elixirs to get Aura vision? Haven't you tried to make a single one that would allow this?"

"I actually did. It's called Dusk. And before you ask - I don't use it often because its Black." Ren just nodded. Immediately Nora raised her hand and started waving it around in the air.

"Me next!" When Jaune nodded, she continued. "What other effects do they have? You mentioned only a few and you have lots of bottles here."

"Well most of them aren't Elixirs. I make… I guess you could call them "bases". It's easier to carry it around since they can be stored for a very long time - around six months. Most elixirs tend to lose their effects after three to four weeks, with some of the more complicated ones lasting only day or two. Sometime even less. But my most used ones are Healing, Perception, and Heart enhancers."

Seeing as Nora opened her mouth to say something, he continued.

"It allows me to regulate my heartbeat. Either slow it down, or accelerate."

"Isn't that dangerous?" His partner asked.

He shrugged. "Not really. There is a limit to how much I can change it, and I have to do it with my Semblance. So if I go too far either way, and start losing consciousness, the effect will simply stop and my heart rate will go back to normal. I use it mostly when I want to speed up the activation of other Elixirs."

"Wait!" A sudden shout from Nora caused everyone to look at her. She was half-pouting, half smiling and pointing a finger at her leader accusingly.

"What about your other sword?"

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Don't think I didn't notice - you had two swords at Initiation. You never used the other one, even when we fought that Deathstalker! What it is? Some super-secret-hidden weapon? Your trump card? Why didn't you use it? Is it too powerful? Does it devour your soul when used? Oh, I know! It…"

"Nora."

"Yes, Renny?"

"Let him speak." The ginger girl laughed nervously and sat on her bed, waiting patiently for Jaune to speak. Well, patiently for Nora - she was bouncing up and down, making annoyed noises.

"I'm sorry about her. Nora's got a...vivid imagination, and she often says whatever is on her mind."

Jaune just nodded.

"Ok so my other sword is named Eclipse - and it's a longsword. I didn't used it because… well it wouldn't have been suited to the situation. We had two heavy hitters already, and I decided it would be better to help Pyrrha keep that thing at bay."

Nora nodded, apparently satisfied with his explanation.

"Ok guys, I think that's enough talk for today." Said Jaune, standing up and checking his scroll.

"We have about four hours until curfew. How about we go to the library, do some studying, and then hit the gym for a few spars?"

His proposition was met with approval. Though he had a suspicion that Nora tuned out the "studying" part and focused solely on the "sparing."

 _Oh well, not that it matters much._ He thought, marching towards the library, his team in tow.

 _Today was good day. Nothing tried to kill me, nothing crazy happened._

Jaune smiled. Yes, today was looking good so far. He could already feel excitement building up at the prospect of fights. He caught glimpse of his teammates fighting skills during initiation - but that was not enough. He couldn't wait to be able to test himself against them.

* * *

 **And that wraps up ch 7. In this chapter I want to showcase some of differences in education between someone learning in school, and someone learning by practice. Jaune knows a lot about Grimm and hunting them - more so than average person his age. However, he knows little about topics not related to his profession - like pop culture or history.**

 **In other news - TPA passed 400 follows this weekend. What can I say to that, beside 'thank you'? I honestly didn't expected this story to be so well received. So really, thank you all.**

 **Here is this week omake - Jaunes first meeting with Weiss. Written by me this time (can't have JJD do all the work…).**

* * *

 **Meeting the Ice Princess.**

"I do not agree to this!" Cried Weiss Schnee.

"You have no choice in this matter, _dear_. The White Fang outright stated they aim to attack you at your next concert, and it would be irresponsible for me, as your father, to not take every precaution I can. That's why I'm hiring him to be your personal bodyguard." Jacques Schnee said, pointing to the man standing next to him.

Boy rather - he couldn't be any older than her - just nodded for his part, with light smile on his lips. She scoffed.

 _How could he protect me any better than I can protect myself?_

She focused on him. He was taller than she was, with mop of messy blond hair. He didn't look too well built - scraggy, more than lean. He wore a simple breastplate over a black hoodie, and a pair of blue jeans - that obviously had seen better days. He wasn't armed - but that was probably because his weapon was confiscated when he entered Schnee mansion.

Overall, her supposed bodyguard didn't look too impressive.

And there was one other problem.

"I understand Father. But why do you insist on hiring," she paused, looking for right word. "... _him_? I can protect myself, and even ignoring that - I'm sure there are more… qualified people available."

When she learned her father was hiring a personal bodyguard for her, she made sure to learn as much as she could about him. What she found was rather… underwhelming. Jaune Arc was born in some backwater town in Vale. His father was a Hunter, and fairly successful one. Whatever skills he had apparently didn't pass on his son, since Jaune was rejected from the local Combat prep school. Then most records of him stopped.

"There are, and they are hired to protect you, and everyone else during your concert. Jaune is being hired specifically to stay close to you. I'm hiring him because he both comes recommended from a trusted source, and has proven himself as capable fighter."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"That is enough Weiss. Jaune will be hired, and you will do nothing to hinder his job. Am I clear?"

She hung her head, and nodded.

"I didn't hear your answer."

"... Yes, Father."

"Very well. You can leave now."

"Sir, if I may?" A new voice sounded.

Weiss looked up surprised. Jaune spoke up for the first time. He was looking her father straight in the eyes, not even flinching under older man's gaze. He still wore the same small smile.

Weiss had to admit to being slightly impressed. Not many people could hold her father's gaze.

"I believe Miss Schnee has the right to voice her concerns. After all it's her health, or life, on the line."

Jacques brows furrowed - he really didn't like when people questioning his decisions. Jaune either didn't noticed, or didn't care.

"What are you suggesting?" Her father asked.

"That I be allowed chance to prove myself to your daughter, sir. That way we can avoid any potential… complications in the future."

Jacques looked at him for a few moments, lost in thoughts. Then he focused back at her.

Weiss took another sip of her tea, and did her best to not flinch.

"How do you intend to do that?"

Jaune's expression didn't change. He still looked calm, and wore this small smile that she definitely didn't like.

"With your permission sir, I would like to use the same method my teacher used to convince Mr. and Miss. Linsing."

Her father looked surprised for a moment, then took on a contemplative expression. After few moments he nodded.

"Very well. I shall allow this."

Jaune nodded and looked at her. Weiss met his gaze. She decided his smile was not only thing she didn't like. His eyes - although a rather nice shade of blue - were… strange. There was no distaste, or calculating pragmatizm in them - something she got used to seeing a lot. They appeared to be… disinterested. Like he didn't really care about her - or anything else.

"Miss Schnee." He addressed her.

She nodded in acknowledgement.

"I understand your concerns. And would like to propose a way to alleviate them. But first I would like to confirm something. You have your Aura unlocked, and are trained in combat, am I correct?"

"Yes." She said with huff.

"Very well. In that case I would like to propose a little game. Right now, I will pretend to be an assailant and attack you. If I can incapacitate you, or signal what could be a mortal wound, you lose and won't oppose to me being you bodyguard. You will also follow my instructions in case we come under attack. If you manage to hold me off for five minutes, or incapacitate me, you win and I'll either resign from being your bodyguard, or you will be able to order me around in case you decide to hire me anyway. How does that sound?"

Weiss stared at boy in front of her for a few seconds, dumbfounded. The she looked at her father, just to make sure he really approved of this. He nodded, and Weiss looked back at Jaune.

"That sounds… acceptable. I'll have someone bring you your weapon, and we can meet in one of training rooms in the mansion." She said finishing her tea - but a single cough from Jaune drew her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear. When I said 'right now' I meant 'as soon as you agree'. We will do it in this room, as we are now."

Weiss couldn't help to stare. Then she looked back to her father to confirm again he is ok with this. Yet again she received a confirming nod.

Then she looked back to Jaune. He was still looking at her with a small smile and an indifferent look in his eyes.

She scoffed.

 _Is he seriously thinking he can win against me without any weapon? He even knows I have my Aura unlocked and I was trained!_

She shook her head. This Jaune had to be either extremely arrogant, or an idiot - possibly both. She was trained from an early age by the best teachers money could buy - he failed to get into a simple public Combat school. And he suggested he could win against her without even using a weapon? Preposterous.

 _Well, I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson._ She thought.

"Very well." She said a loud. "Le…" she never managed to finish.

The table she was sitting at was kicked forward and slammed into her. Before she could even think about what to do, it was kicked again - this time with much more force. It knocked the air out of her lungs and pinned both her hands and body to the chair she was sitting at, preventing her from drawing her weapon. Panic started to settle in as she tried to free herself. Finally, she managed to push away from table and reach for her rapier. She didn't managed to draw it though - she was lifted, and then slammed onto the table.

She tried to struggle, but Jaune was strong - far stronger than his scraggy frame suggested. He pinned her left hand with his knee, and held her right one in vice-like grip. All she could do was gasp when she noticed a glint of something metal in his right hand. It rose and fell towards her face.

She let out a quiet whimper, and closed her eyes, awaiting agony. It didn't come. The pressure on her hand disappeared and she let out a breath of relief.

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, and looked at the boy now standing a few steps away from her. Something about him had changed. His eyes were no longer distant and disinterested, now they were warm and looked at her with… was it sympathy? Understanding? She wasn't sure.

He was still smiling - but it had changed too. It was no longer plastic, and looked much more natural.

"I know you are strong." He said. "But even the strongest Hunters can't do everything alone. They need someone to cover for them, to watch their back. That's why they usually work in teams - so they can have people they can really on."

He paused for a moment, and looked above her, to the window.

"I know you are strong." He repeated. "But you can't be on your guard all the time. Well, you can - but not if you want to live normally. It would break you, sooner or latter. And those guy, the ones that would come and try to take your life away - they do not play by the rules. They won't give you time to prepare, they won't wait till you draw your weapon. They will not care how many others die, as long as they can get what they want."

There was something in the tone of his voice that made Weiss wonder if he was speaking from personal experience.

He looked back at her.

"You want to be a Huntress, right?"

The sudden question surprised her. After a moment of hesitation she nodded.

"Great. Then how about this - don't think of me as your bodyguard, but as your partner. I heard that when you go to a Hunter Academy you have to work in four man teams - you can think of this as practice."

She shook her head. It was ridiculous idea - but in some strange way it made sense. Plus she lost - and thus had to accept him anyway.

"Well , I guess that is acceptable." She said.

"Great. So let's start from beginning, shall we?" He cleared his throat and smiled at her - and this time it was a big, goofy one. "I'm Jaune Arc, and I will be your partner for now. I look forward to working with you." He said extending his hand towards her.

She snorted and took it.

"I'm Weiss Schnee. I look forward to working with you too."

 _Jaune Arc, huh? Maybe he is not so bad afterall._

* * *

 **Now, I want to clarify something. I do not imply Jaune is a better fighter than Weiss. The reason he was able to "win" was not because he is more skilled, but because he is more vicious. This omake happened between Jaune's visit in the village and the meeting from 'Thank you' omake - so roughy one year and two months before the start of story.**

 **At this point Weiss is less skilled than in show, and much less used to violence than Jaune is. So he was able to take her by surprise, and shocked her to the point she didn't knew what to do. I guess simplest way to put it is that he didn't tried to fight her - he tried to kill her. And Weiss was not prepared for this.**

 **And if you wonder why her father allowed this - it's because he is ass, and don't mind seeing his daughter beaten up, just because she dared to oppose him.**


	9. Pecking Order

**Chere we go, ch 8 of TPA. Edited like always by JJD.**

* * *

 **CH 8**

Jaune ducked under the swipe and pushed forward. His shield slammed into his opponent and he made sure to stick as close as possible. Fighting at such a short range was far from optimal for him - but it was even worse for his opponent. He stabbed and slashed, attacking with his shield as much as with his sword.

Nora backed off, but Jaune kept close, not slowing down his assault. None of his attacks were doing much damage, but they did chip away at her Aura little by little.

 _I'll win if this continues like this. She knows it too - and that means she'll make her move soon._

Jaune knew he couldn't afford to slow down his assault - he had to keep Nora on edge, don't give her chance to create distance - it was hell to get so close, mainly because his ginger teammate took 's advice to heart and decided to keep him at distance with a rain of grenades.

But he also knew just rushing blindly could, and probably would, end badly. That's why he stopped attacking with his shield, choosing instead to hold it close, ready to defend against any surprise his opponent would no doubt throw at him.

This paid off, when he noticed Nora's hand move down the haft of the hammer - to the place where he knew the trigger was. The impact he felt on his shield surprised him - and not because it was so strong. Quite the opposite - it was much weaker than what he expected.

Before he could even start wondering on the reason why, Nora provided the answer for him - by slamming the head of her hammer into his unprotected site.

 _Well, fuck._

Was what he thought moments before he slammed into the wall of training room. He slid down, and let out a loud groan.

A quick roll to the side allowed him to avoid a direct hit from Nora's grenade - but not the explosion. Thankfully, he managed to cover behind his shield, and used the momentum to roll even further away, where he pushed up to his feet. Then he started running in circles, trying to avoid as many of the explosions as he could. Nora on the other hand, was all too happy to rain pink destruction on her team leader, laughing maniacally the whole time.

 _Ok, keep calm. Don't try to rush in, wait for her to run out of ammo. Then close the distance._

He took peek over his shield to where his opponent stood.

 _But not too much. I don't think I will be able to reach her before she reloads, and if I get too close it will be harder to dodge._

He did just that, continuing to run in circles even when Nora stopped to reload. With each circle he came a little closer, until he was sure he got close enough to reach her the next time she ran out of ammo.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but was forced to jump to the side when Nora renewed her assault. Jaune ducked under the first grenade, rolled out of the way of the second. The third one exploded a few meters before him, the fourth very close behind, staggering him for a moment. Not wasting a second, he dropped to one knee and put up his shield - just in time to intercept the fifth. The explosion shook him, but he held his ground.

 _Ok, one more and she is out. Just hold it._

He tried to get up, but the sound of a weapon being fired prompted him to take cover behind his shield again. He clenched his teeth awaiting another explosion.

What hit him instead was the head of Nora's hammer. He again became closely acquainted with the wall of the training room. He tried to get up, but was driven to the ground again when her hammer hit his hastily risen shield.

He tried to roll to the side, but Nora didn't let him. He kicked out, hitting her in the shin. It was too weak to deal any real damage, but it staggered her for just a moment. It was all he needed to roll out and get to his feet.

Nora charged, and he did the same. Her hammer wooshed just above his head, and he went inside her guard. His pommel hit her head, while the handle of her hammer grazed his side. Jaune pushed his shield against his opponent's weapon, pinning it to her body. Then, taking advantage of his superior mass and strength he pushed.

Nora tried to stop him, but soon enough, it was her turn to slam into a hard wall. Now pinned, with no chance to escape, she could do little else than to try and defend against Jaune's assault.

Or that was what he thought. Instead, she started kicking into his knee. He staggered a little, but held out. Since they were too close for him to make decent swing of his blade, he punched her in the face.

She kicked him again, and this time his leg buckled under him a bit.

Jaune put his sword to her side, and started pushing.

Nora headbutted him.

He staggered, just enough for her to slip out.

Nora took a wide swing, and Jaune rushed in, determined to stop it before it can build any momentum. However, instead of swinging, his teammate's trust her weapon forward, slamming the butt end of the handle into his chest. The blow staggered him, but not enough to push him back. He raised his sword to retaliate.

"Stop! The match is over, Nora wins."

Jaune paused and looked to his partner. Pyrrha smiled shyly, and looked to the side. He could almost hear her saying "I'm sorry".

 _She really apologizes too much._ He thought, looking over to the Aura display on one of the walls.

Nora was around forty percent, while his dropped barely below thiry.

"That was a good match Jaune." He turned around to see his partner standing behind him, an encouraging smile on her lips.

"Yeah, but I underestimated Nora. I knew she can be tricky after watching her fight against Yang, but she still got me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you will do better next time."

He smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess I better clear the arena for you and Ren. Try to not stomp him too hard."

She blushed and mumbled something quietly.

Jaune joined Nora on the bench outside of arena, and accepted an offered drink, while Ren and Pyrrha got ready for their fight.

This little sparring session was something he came up as another team-building exercise. The plan was to let every member of team JNPR fight against each other in one-on-one matches, and then watch and analyze the recordings of their fights.

In the arena, both Ren and Pyrrha synced they scrolls to the big display screen. Moments later the countdown started. When it reached zero, both combatants moved.

Pyrrha threw her shield at Ren, who dodged and started backing off, firing Storm Flowers. The red haired champion rolled to the side, caught her shield, and started chasing her opponent.

So far Pyrrha had remained undefeated, and he somehow doubted Ren would be the one to break her winning streak. He was doing well however - keeping her at distance, shooting whenever he could, and dogging the occasional attack.

When Pyrrha managed to close into melee range, he only ever exchanged a few blows, and retreating as soon as he could. But he couldn't keep it up forever - he would run out of ammo eventually, and Pyrrha wouldn't give him time to reload. It happened soon enough, when two loud clicks announced that Storm Flowers ran dry.

Pyrrha paused, then smirked and switched her weapon into sword form.

Ren sighed, shrugged, and dashed at her.

They met in flurry of attacks, exchanging blows so fast it was hard to see what was happening. Ren managed to land a few good hits, but it was not enough. After landing a kick to his opponent's stomach, he managed to create some distance. Without wasting a second, he jumped back even further, hoping to get enough time to reload Strom Flowers.

Akouo hit his forehead, staggering him for a moment. Pyrrha followed soon after, shifting Milo into spear form and striking him square in the chest. She then spun, using the haft of her weapon to sweep Ren's legs from under him. He hit the floor hard, let out a loud groan, and looked up - straight into Milo's barrel.

The bullet hit his forehead at the same time Akouo landed into Pyrrha's outstretched hand.

 _Show-off._ Thought Jaune, watching as his partner helped Ren get up. She then started saying something quickly.

 _Probably apologizing. Again._

He shook his head. That was his partner in nutshell - polite to a fault, just wanting to fit in on a normal day, and turning into a vicious fighter whenever she held her weapons.

Both combatants made their way to rest of their team. Jaune tossed a bottle of energy drink to each.

"Ok guys, the first official sparring session of Team JNPR is over. Winner - to no one's surprise - Pyrrha Nikos. A round of applause for our champion." Pyrrha looked to the side and laughed nervously when they clapped. Jaune's eyes narrowed.

 _So even congratulating a victory makes her nervous? Now this won't do. Guess I'll have to fix it somehow sooner rather than later._

"Ok, that's enough. I'll go grab the recordings of our fights, you guys can head to the display room. We will watch them there."

Every training room had a smaller one attached with a comfortable couch, table, and a big screen. It was meant to let students watch recordings of their spars - or the spars of other teams. Jaune was determined to take full advantage of such an opportunity.

He synced his scroll to the small console, and after a moment, the screen flicked to life, showing a selection menu with six positions on it.

"Ok guys, I propose we do it like this, we will watch all the fights of a single person, and discuss each one - what was done right, what was wrong, and what to improve. After that, we will pick the next person, and do the same, skipping over the fights we already watched. Since I'm team leader, how about we go with mine first?"

After his team nodded their approval, Jaune selected the first position on the menu.

Moments later, the record of his and Ren's spar started playing. It was by far the longest fight - after a few initial exchanges in melee, Ren started to circle around Jaune, shooting at him as he moved. Unlike Pyrrha, Jaune was not fast enough to pressure Ren, so all he could do was to defend. On the other hand, Storm Flower didn't have enough power to really damage the heavily armored teen.

Eventually, seeing that shooting him wasn't working, Ren decided to re-engage in melee. He opted for a hit-and-run tactic, closing in, striking a few times, and then retreating. This proved more effective - each time he managed to score a few hits chipped away at Jaune's Aura little by little. But at the same time, he put himself at risk too - and while not as often, his opponent managed to land a few good hits too.

In the end, what decided the outcome was stamina. Ren, who was moving far more than Jaune, started to slow down. At first he could land seven hits while his team leader retaliated with only one - that usually missed. Then this number dropped to five for one, then five for two, and finally three for two. Eventually, Ren stumbled after Jaune's counter - a shield bash to the face - catching him before he could retreat. He fell, and didn't get a chance to get back up.

"So, any comments?" Asked Jaune when the video finished.

"I probably shouldn't have taken that initial exchange. You were able to take out quite a bit of my Aura, and I had to do something to even that out." Said Ren.

"I agree." Pyrrha added, nodding. "You also should stop circling Jaune ealier. It was clear your weapons do not have enough firepower to take him out. You were just tiring yourself out. That hit-and-run tactic you used at the end was good idea. Had you used it from the beginning you might have won."

Ren nodded and smiled.

"To be fair, I was hoping that all that armor would make Jaune tire out faster. I guess I miscalculated."

The blond team leader laughed.

"Yeah, that's common misconception. Many people think that if someone wears armor, especially bulkier variants, they will tire out fast. But it's not true - properly made suit of armor will have its weight spread evenly over whole body. Sure, you wont run fast in it, but it is not nearly as tiresome as it might look. Plus training with it increase your stamina - so it's not that easy to tire out us 'heavy' folks."

Jaune looked over his team.

"Any more comments?" There were none, so he played the next video.

His fight against Pyrrha was much more dynamic. She adopted similar tactic to what Ren did at the end of they fight - however, thanks to longer range of her spear it was more effective. Not only she could attack her partner from out of his range, she didn't had to move as much. Jaune was on defensive for most of the fight, tough he managed to get initiative after one successful counter knocked red haired Huntress out of balance. Unfortunately for him, Pyrrha was not afraid to take him head-on - and quickly proved to be the superior fighter. A few moments later, the fight was over. After fainting a strike to head, Pyrrha's spear caught him in stomach. She spun around him, wrapped Milo under his chin, and threw him over. Then, while he was still mid air, finished it off with perfectly executed 560 kick.

"Well." Said Jaune when video ended "I think I had best finish out of all of us." This comment earned him few chuckles.

"So any comments? Advice?" He asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. It doesn't seem to me like you made any real mistakes here - it's just that Pyrrha is a much better fighter. No offense." Said Ren nodding towards him.

"None taken." Jaune nodded back.

"If I really had to say something, it would be to get some ranged weapon. You said you are bad with guns, but just shooting at an enemy can distract them."

Jaune nodded.

"Well I pass on guns. I'm REALLY bad with them. But I'll try to figure out how to get some range. Anyone else want to add something? Pyrrha?"

His partner looked lost in thought ever since video ended. Now she perked up when called out, and looked at him for a few seconds before speaking.

"Could you please play your fight against Nora first? I would like to see it again before giving my opinion."

Jaune shrugged and did so.

Pyrrha was watching it intensely, nodding to herself from time to time.

After video ended she was thinking about something for few moments. Then she looked up at her partner and spoke.

"Jaune, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have much experience in fighting other trained Aura users? At least not ones on similar level to you?"

He considered this for a moment then nodded.

"Yeah. I mostly sparred with Leon, sometimes against other Hunters. There were bandits too, but most of them don't have Aura, and even if they do, they were poorly trained, and had simple weapons. As for people on a similar level…" he trailed off, thinking.

"Well Leon organized a few fights for me. Usually when we hit bigger city, with its own combat school. He would talk the teachers into letting me spar with a few of the students. But those were few and far between, we spent most our time in Wilds."

Pyrrha nodded.

"It shows in your fighting style. I wouldn't really call it a mistake, rather a bad habit, but you are too defensive. This makes you lose opportunities, or take too many hits. It often looks like you are.." she trailed off, hesitated for a moment, then continued "...too afraid to take hit on Aura. I assume it's because you are used to fighting against opponents that are stronger than you, or drawn-out skirmishes, rather than one-on-one fights?"

Jaune considered her words for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I think this is the problem. Fighting other people is usually more… I guess you can say dynamic, than fighting Grimm. Sometimes you have to just rush in and attack, even if it means taking a few hits, because staying on the defensive will just drain you. It's what happened in your fight against Nora - after she knocked you away, you should have just rushed straight at her when she started reloading. You probably wouldn't make it to her before she finished, but you could take a few hits, and with your shield they wouldn't even take that much of your Aura."

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"Even before that…"she trial doff aging" Could you please play the very beginning of your fight again?"

Once the video started, she continued.

"You managed to close distance well with her by rushing in. Then, after you get inside Nora's guard - by the way that was a very nice counter here - you started attacking very aggressively. You even used your shield to strike her - a good move, most people do not expect to be hit by shield, or how much that hurts. But then you suddenly slowed down. I assume you expected Nora to try to pull something off, and wanted to be ready to defend against it?"

She waited for him to nod, then continued.

"And that was a mistake. You were faster than her, and at such close distance, under such an intense attack, she couldn't do anything. Her defense would slip eventually if you kept this up. The only reason she was able to counterattack was because you slowed down your assault. There is even a moment, just before she hit you, when you stopped attacking, and put your other hand on the shield. I assume this was in preparation to stop her next attack?"

He nodded again.

"Another mistake. If you pushed on, you could have stopped it easily."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could do it in time. Nora hits hard, so I decided it would be better to block the attack, instead risking it hitting me…" he trailed off, then snorted.

"Well I guess you have a point. Though Leon was always telling me you can be never too careful when your life's on the line."

"Well, 'careful' doesn't have to mean 'defensive', just as 'aggressive' and 'reckless' are not the same." Pyrrha said with a smile.

He nodded and played the next video - Ren vs Nora.

The green ninja easily dodged initial barrage from Nora, and forced her into melee. But he didn't look for an extended fight - after exchanging just a few attack he jumped away, and started withling his opponent's Aura with constant fire from Storm Flowers. He stayed just out her melee range for most time, only closing in when it looked like she wanted to switch Magnhild into ranged mode. Nora, having nothing to defend herself against the constant fire, tried desperately to close distance and lock her partner in melee, but he proved too slippery. It ended in a decisive victory for Ren - he only lost slightly more than ten percent of his Aura.

"I don't think there is much to say here." Said Pyrrha, nodding. Somewhere down the line, they all agreed that instead having every person speak, they will just leave the analysis of the fights to the resident champion.

"It was just a typical case of a bad match up. Ren had a clear advantage, and used it well. Really, the only way for Nora to win there would be if Ren made some serious mistake."

There were few hums of agreement, and Jaune played the last two videos - Pyrrha's fights against Ren and Nora.

The last one was the shortest one from all today's spars. The red haired champion closed distance immediately, and locked her opponent into a fierce melee. It didn't last long - the tempo Pyrrha enforced was just too much for Nora, and before long, her form was broken. A few moments later, the hammer wielder slammed into the wall, after being hit by a roundhouse kick.

"Well, what advice could we offer our champion?" Mock-asked Jaune, stroking his chin in an exaggerated manner.

"Maybe she should change her armor polish? I noticed some stains on her greaves before she kicked me out." Said Nora, nodding to herself, a serious expression on her face.

Pyrrha blushed and laughed nervously.

"To pay more attention to weapon maintenance?" Offered Ren. "I'm sure I saw small dent on Akouo before it slammed into my face."

The red haired champion blushed even further.

Jaune nodded few times, then spoke.

"Well, good points guys. I'll add only one thing - you should probably come up with more finishers that do _not_ involve kicking people. It's enough that you do it figuratively, no need to do it literally too."

After a few moments of silence they laughed. To Jaune's pleasant surprise - Pyrrha joined them.

 _Well, looks like she relaxed a bt. Surprising what a little teasing can achieve._

"Ok, but seriously. You are amazing Pyrrha, and if there is one thing I think you should work on, it's to stop feeling so bad about it. I won't pretend to know why you so uncomfortable with people bringing up your fame - but I can guess. And let me tell you this - I never cared much about other people's image. I always made my own opinion, and you are a person I definitely would like to be friends with."

She blinked a few times then laughed nervously.

"It's that obvious?"

"Yes." Said Ren "Even were it not for your reaction when Nora brought up your fame yesterday, it's enough to see how you act around people. You always hunch over, as if trying to not be seen. You always move quickly from place to place, without looking at anyone, as if to not draw attention. "

He paused for a moment and smirked,

"If I didn't knew any better I would think you are being bullied. Though I pity any fool who would try it."

"Yeah! We would break his legs!" Exclaimed Nora happily.

Pyrrha looked over them, and for a moment Jaune though she would burst into tears, but she just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

 _There it is. She really looks much better when she smiles like that._ Thought Jaune.

"No problem." He said aloud, nodding towards her.

"Ok guys, we are out of time. Let's pack up, go grab something to eat, and head back to our room."

* * *

"So, what's next Fearless Leader? You said this would be the first step?" Asked Nora as soon as they left the training room. She ran off before him, and now was staring at him curiously, walking backwards.

"Well, now we have to come up with a training regimen, to fix our weaknesses. And start team practice. Develop some formations, team strategies, and get used to each other's fighting styles. But I think we should start it next week. For now, let's focus on getting used to school." Jaune answered.

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by four loudly speaking people who just left one of training rooms.

Well, three loudly talking people, and one quiet, busy with her book. Team RWBY apparently had a similar idea about a day one spar.

"Hey guys. Come here to set up a pecking order?" Jaune called out

Yang turned around, and seeing him, smiled widely.

"Well of course. Can't have anarchy in the team, right?" She said with a grin.

"Well, I may be wrong, but I think I recall Headmaster appointing team leaders at the initiation." He answered.

Yang just shrugged.

"Who cares about official admissions. Gotta set up hierarchy ourselves."

"So how did it go?"

"Pretty evenly, I'd say." Said Weiss. "Yang won against me and Ruby. Blake beat Yang, Ruby won against me, and I won against Blake."

"What about Ruby vs Blake?" Asked Ren

"It was draw." The quiet girl answered form over her book.

"Yeh, we fought super fast, and we were so close to red, and then we both shot at the same time and hit each other. It was so cool!" The young red reaper exclaimed happily, bouncing on her feet. Then she paused and looked up at Jaune expectantly. "So, how about you guys?"

"Well I beat Ren, he beat Nora, and she beat me."

"What about Pyrrha?"

"What do you think?"

"I hope she didn't beat you too hard? It's bad for authority when the leader is beaten up in front of his underlings." Said Blake with smirk.

"Nah. She beat the other two even harder. Plus, I had best finish, so there is that."

"Isn't your pride hurt? I mean such an experienced Hunter, fresh from the Wilds, and team leader at that, beaten by some tournament fighter? How are you going to live with such shame?" The blond brawler teased.

"Well, first of all, if she is tournament fighter it's obvious she has more experience fighting people. I'm used to dealing with monsters. Second, as team leader I'm supposed to be brains, not muscle. Pyrrha can be my right-hand ma.. woman."

"Forcing a lady to do heavy lifting for you? Not very gentleman-like." Weiss said with a raised eyebrow.

Jaune looked at her with a slight smile.

"Weiss, please. You know me well enough to know I'm a dedicated advocate of true gender equality." He answered shaking his head.

Weiss looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by her partner.

"So.. we were planning to go to the cafeteria, and grab something to eat. You guys want to tag along?

"Heh, we were planning the same. Guess great minds think alike." Ruby smiled happily at the comment from her fellow team leader. Jaune turned to his team and said, doing his best imitation of military officer.

"Ok, team, listen up. We will help our friends from team RWBY in the assault on the cafeteria. Hit hard, hit fast and take no prisoners. Understood?"

"Yes, Fearless Leader!" Nora mock saluted.

* * *

"So, what do you think, P-money. Is there something between them?"

Pyrrha turned towards the blond girl walking next to her.

She honestly wasn't sure what to think about Yang Xiao Long. She seemed friendly enough, very confident, and an overall rather nice person. She also had a habit of giving everyone nicknames, and throwing out puns. Usually bad ones.

Pyrrha shifted her attention to her partner. He was walking at the front of the group, between Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, saying something while gesturing energetically with his hands. From time to time, the heiress would throw in some snarky comment, and he would respond in kind.

It would be obvious that they knew each other - even if Weiss hadn't told her herself before initiation. But what was their relationship?

Weiss said they are friends, but was that it? Or maybe there were something more?

"I'm not sure. Weiss did admit they knew each other, and referred to him as an 'old friend' when we first met."

Yang hummed and nodded at that. Any further conversation between them was interrupted when they reached the cafeteria. It was getting late, but there was still a lot of students there. After a brief consideration, they decided to split up, with one team grabbing food, and other securing a table.

"So Ladykiller, how did you meet Weiss-cream? You seem awfully close." Asked Yang once they all settled.

"Do we?" Asked Jaune raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. She acts all high-class around us - proper manners, no sense of humor…"

"I fail to see how me having proper manners is a bad thing. And I do have sense of humor - it's just that your jokes are _bad._ "

This statement was met with hum of approval from rest of team RWBY. Yang placed her hand over her heart and gasped in mock hurt.

"Betrayed by my own family. And you too Blake? My own partner?"

"Sorry Yang. But Weiss is right. Your puns are really bad."

"Yeh, sure. They are great, it's just you guys who are not fun."

She focused back on Jaune.

"But we are getting off-topic here. So, Ladykiller, I ask again. How did you meet Ice Princess here?"

Jaune hummed.

"Well, me and Leon - the guy who was training me - were in Atlas. There were some White Fang attacks on influential people, and most of them went crazy, started hiring Hunters left and right as bodyguards. This ended up as sort of competition - every rich person wanted to have his or her own Hunter bodyguard. The more rough-looking, the better. So Leon lined up some jobs for us. He was hired by some older couple, I was hired by Weiss' father. He apparently knew Leon, and wanted to hire him, but since my teacher already signed a contract, I was hired instead. "

He paused for a moment and shrugged.

"Wasn't too hard of a job. Weiss could take care of herself even then, and there were not many people daring to target her to begin with. Honestly, I spend more time carrying shopping bags, or taking care of guys who just wouldn't take hint, than doing anything even resembling bodyguarding."

"So how long did it last? Is it when you get your HIDE armor?" asked Ruby.

"Nah, I got it later. Back then I was hired only for for a few days. Weiss was giving a concert and White Fang apparently stated they would attack it. Turned out it was a false alarm - someone thought it would be funny to put everyone on edge."

He took sip of his tea and continued.

"After that we - Leon and I - started doing some contracted work for SDC. Mostly Grimm extermination, but few escort jobs too. That was good time for us - jobs were well paid, and Weiss's father even let us live in Schnee mansion. This lasted for month or so, and since we were only people around the same age, we talked, sparred few times, and generally hang out."

"So you two, alone in a big mansion. You sure there were no romance there?"

Weiss let out a long sigh.

"First of all we were not alone. Even if we don't count all the servants, there's still my mother, father and brother. Not to mention my older sister, who sometimes came with visit. And just because we hang out, doesn't mean we have to fall in love."

"So that's it? Just friends?" Yang asked with a curious expression.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Why 'just'? Jaune is the best friend I ever had."

The blond in question blushed a little.

"Well, thank you Weiss."

"Mostly because he had little to no competition."

"You didn't had to add that part…"

Nora hugged him.

"Don't worry Fearless Leader! You have us now."

Ruby did the same with Weiss.

"And you have us! We will be besties in no time, you will see!"

Weiss and Jaune looked each other in the eye and let out tired sighs.

"We walked straight into that one, didn't we?" The heiress asked.

"Yeah, we did." Jaune answered, hanging his head. Then he perked up, and checked his scroll.

"Hey guys. I just recalled there is call I really have to make, so…"

Nora let go of his arm, and he got up.

"Did something happened?" asked Pyrrha with hint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, just have to report to family. I was supposed to call yesterday, but it was so busy it kinda slipped by."

"Oh, then we won't keep you. Should we wait for you here, or…?"

"Nah, it will probably take at least an hour."

Pyrrha nodded and went back to her meal.

* * *

Blake watched Jaune leave the cafeteria from the corner of her eye, half-listening to the conversation at the table.

She frowed. He said it was call to family. And there was no real reason for him to lie. Then again - she still remembered hearing him talking with Headmaster Ozpin during initiation. Or did he? She was certain back then, but now, not so much. She could be mistaken - after all she had heard only few words, and now she wasn't even sure if they were what she remembered, or she just misheard.

She really wanted to follow him, but that would be suspicious. And her partner was bound to jump to some wild conclusions, if she excused herself so soon after him. Yeah, it was better to not give blond brawler any material for teasing…

"What are you looking at Blake? Interested in our resident knight?" Yang asked with a grin.

 _Well, crap._

Blake was about to deny it, but thought better of it. She had known her for only a day or so, but was certain her partner would not let go so easily. And denying would just make her more interested.

"In a way, yes." She answered, instead looking Yang in the eye.

 _Maintain eye contact, keep a straight face, and give a believable excuse, preferably mixed with truth. It's the only way to get rid of her._

"Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"I saw him fighting during initiation, and he piqued my interest. His style is different than what they teach in combat schools. More… I guess you could say grounded."

"Yeah, that is because he didn't go to combat school." Pyrrha said.

"Well, I figured it out from what he said earlier. Still, he didn't get to any official education at all?" Blake asked. She couldn't question the man himself, but it looked like his teammates were more than happy to share what they knew. Not the best source of information, since they would knew only what he wanted them to know, but better than nothing.

And it's not like she wanted to harm anyone. She just wanted to investigate a suspicious individual. Best case she would find nothing, and no one would get hurt. Worst case, she would save her… Friends? Acquaintances? She wasn't sure what to call them. But they were nice to her so far, and she had no reason to not help them.

"No, I don't think so. He said he traveled with Leon for four years - so I'm fairly certain he never went to a combat school."

"I can confirm that. There are no records of him ever attending any official training institution." Said Weiss, sipping her tea. After a moment, she noticed all eyes were focused on her.

"What?" She asked.

"How do you know that?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress shrugged

"I had him checked out when my father hired him."

"You... had him 'checked out'? You mean you hired a detective or something?"

Weiss sighed.

"No, I had some SDC employees check official Hunter training schools."

Yang shot her a strange look.

"Isn't that a bit… excessive?"

"I dont think so." Everyone turned to look at Blake.

"If he was supposed to be her bodyguard, I think it's reasonable to want to know who's hands you will be putting your life in."

Weiss nodded to her in thanks, and she nodded back.

Blake had a low opinion of the SDC - like most Faunus. And she had pretty good image of who Weiss Schnee - heiress to such an infamous company - would be. A stuck up, arrogant, self-centered, racist, spoiled bitch, who treats everyone else like inferior life forms.

As one would expect - she was not too thrilled to be on the same team as her. But now, barely even a day after their team was officially formed, she had to admit most of what she thought she knew was wrong. Weiss had high-class manners, and was rather reserved - but this was to be expected if one took her upbringing into consideration. She was not stuck up, she didn't treat them like they were lower than her. She didn't complain about taking orders from a cleary younger Ruby during initiation, and, as strange as it sounded, Blake was actually starting to like her.

Realising, with no small amount of embarrassment, that she judged her teammate based solely on her prejudices, she decided to make it up to her somehow. Sure, she didn't actually _do_ anything bad to her, but it was a matter of principle.

Taking the heiress' side in conversation, especially if, objectively speaking, her actions were justified, seemed like a good way to do so.

After that, the conversation steered onto different topics - like fashion, Grimm, movies, weapons, new boy-bands, Dust and its usages in fighting Grimm. Normal topics that any young Huntesses (and one Hunter) in training would talk about. Strangely enough, most of the Hunter-related topics were brought up by Ruby.

Blake was listening with one ear, and analyzing what she had learned about Jaune Arc. There was not much of it. She got the name of his teacher, so she could try to look him up. From what she heard, he was some sort of freelancer Hunter, so there should be something in the Company database. Then a thought struck her.

 _If Jaune was doing some freelance work on his own, he might be registered with the Company too. It's worth checking._

She nodded to herself and spared a quick glance to the cafeteria doors. Both teams were so engrossed in the conversation that no one would notice her slipping off. She could try to find Jaune, check if he really calling family, and...

 _Stop._ She ordered herself. _This is too paranoid, even for me. Let's take it easy, after all, even if he did talk with the Headmaster during initiation, it doesn't mean he is up to something._

* * *

"Thank you." Said Jaune Arc, accepting a cup of tea from Glynda Goodwitch. The older woman nodded and moved to stand behind Headmaster Ozpin.

 _Well, this is awkward._ The blond boy thought, observing both adults. Jaune didn't have much experience with schools, but he had a feeling that being called to the Headmaster's office on your first day was not a good thing.

 _Did I do something wrong? I don't think so. Also, I doubt they would be giving me tea if I were in trouble._

"Pardon me Headmaster, but what is purpose of this visit? Your earlier message lacked any details."

Almost immediately after leaving the cafeteria, he dialed Mei's number. His adopted grandmother answered after the first ring. Their talk was interrupted by a message from Ozpin, asking him to come to hsi office "as soon as possible." Mei wasn't happy about the sudden interruption, but he promised he would call back as soon as he was done with whatever the Headmaster wanted from him.

So now here he was, in his office, sipping on some rather good tea, and wondering what the hell was going on.

"There is no need to worry Mr. Arc, you are not in trouble. You will learn everything soon. We are still waiting for one more…" A sudden 'ding' interrupted Headmaster's speech. Soon after, there was a sound of elevator doors opening, and then heavy footsteps.

"Ah, here you are Peter."

"Ozpin. Glynda. Ah, even Mr. Arc. Well, I hope I didn't make you wait long?"

"Not at all. So, since you were the one who asked for his presence, how about you explain the situation to Mr Arc?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that. His Grimm studies professor wanted to meet him, and in the Headmaster office. Now that was interesting.

"Very well. Mr. Arc, reason I requested your presence is simple. There is a beast I intend to hunt down, and I could use some back up."

Jaune opened his mouth to ask question, but stopped when Headmaster took out grey envelope and handed it to him. He took out its contents - and everything become clear.

There were a few photos inside. The first of them featured a woman. Or rather a monster that looked like a woman - it would take a lot of effort to mistake it for an actual human being. While it had a shape closely resembling that of a human, there were a few distinctive traits that clearly indicated it was not human. Its skin was pitch-black, eyes glowing eldritch green, hair just wisp of smoke. Oh, and it was missing whole left side of its body. It looked like someone had draw a picture and then cut it perfectly in half.

Jaune scoffed.

"So someone messed up, and now they have Twins to deal with." He shook his head.

"Ha! I knew you will recognize what the beast was." Peter Port slapped Jaune on the back, with force that almost sent the young man flying.

"Tell me, young man, what do you know about this monster?"

"Not much" Jaune admitted with slight embarrassment. "Never encountered one myself. Leon - my teacher - used to say they appear when, I quote, 'some damn amateurs tries to do a professional's job and messes up'. This meant that if someone wounds a Wraith and fails to finish it. Or if something tied to it, usually part of the body, or some personal items, are taken away from area it spawns in, before it's properly cleansed."

Jaune was thinking for a moment, trying to recall what little info he had.

"They are not very dangerous. Slower, more predictable, and lack usually special abilities other Wraiths have. But the tricky part about dealing with them is that both halves have to be dealt with at the same time - otherwise it will regenerate."

"Very well my boy. So how about it? Will you help this old man on his hunt?"

His almost agreed. A chance to accompany such an experienced Hunter was not something that came by often. But there was still some things he had to clarify, before he made his decision.

"I would be happy too. But before that I have to ask - why me?"

"Now my boy, isn't this obvious? You are a Hunter, and I thought you could use some excitement. First semester can be a little… dull, beside maybe Miss Goodwitch's class." He said, nodding towards woman, who nodded back.

"Sadly, combat preparation schools teach only very basic information about Grimm, hardly more than is common knowledge - apparently because any more information is 'unsuited to be learned at such young age'." Peter shook his head.

"Is it really that bad?" Asked Jaune.

The older hunter shot him an amused look.

"Do you really need to ask? Well, ask yourself - how many of your friends were able to understand my tale? They are all exceptional young people, I might add."

Jaune winced. Yeah, that was pretty telling.

"Ok, I understand. But still, I'm sure you could easily get ahold of someone much more experienced than me."

"I could" The older man admitted easily. "But I want you. I admit you piqued my curiosity, and I would like to see you in action."

Jaune stared at the older man for few moments, then sighed and shook his head. Yeah, that was a reason as good as any. Now, only a few things left to clarify.

"So, when are we going? And where?"

Port smiled.

"Friday, after lessons. Location is a small woodworkers' colony, about four hours by bullhead form Vale. We will go in, hunt down our prey, and go back - should be back in Beacon before midnight." Jaune opened his mouth, but the older Hunter interrupted him.

"We still need to pinpoint the location of the prey. It has a wide territory for a Wraith, and its appearances are very irregular."

Jaune nodded.

"What about my team? Will they come with us?"

Peter shook his head.

"No, it will be only you and me, my boy. I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't think someone not used to Harrowed, even as skilled as your teammates, should face a Wraith, even as weak as Twins."

Jaune nodded.

"Very well then. I'll give my team some excuse and meet you at bullhead docks after classes."

Peter Port nodded, smiling widely.

"Splendid. Then I'll see you this Friday, my boy."

Jaune nodded and shook Peter's hand. Then stood and turned to Ozpin.

"Is this all Headmaster?"

Older man smiled and shook his head.

"Yes Mr. Arc, you are free to go. I wish you a good night."

"LIkewise Headmaster." He shook the extended hand. "Miss Goodwitch." He nodded to the stern woman, who spared a look from over some papers she was examining, nodded to him, and went back to her work.

Jaune turned around and walked away.

When the elevator doors closed, cutting him fro Headmaster office, he could feel his mouth stretching in a smile.

So, a hunt alongside an experienced Hunter? He could already feel the excitement building up.

* * *

 **AN: Yes Port is WITCHER too. No, this will be not only time he will bring Jaune along for Hunt.**

 **In other news -you may, or may not have noticed TPA got cover art. JJD commissioned it for me (thank you man!), and it was made by CHE3ZY (thank you too!).**

 **Anyway, here is this week omake:**

* * *

 **Meeting the Ice Princess pt 2.**

Jaune was in a state of panic. One probably couldn't tell looking from the outside. Afterall, he was sitting at a small white table, in nice garden, drinking delicious tea from an expensive-looking porcelain cup. But none of those were reason for his nervousness - it was the girl that is sitting in front of him, taking sip from her own cup.

Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company - the biggest, and most influential company in the world.

And girl he apparently assaulted yesterday evening.

 _I really should have just jumped out of the window._ He thought, recalling the events of the morning.

* * *

Jaune went from asleep to fully awake in one moment. That part was normal for him - over two years of living in the Wilds tend to teach you to wake up fast. And quietly. For few moments he just listened to ambient sounds, trying to gauge if he could safely get up, and analyzing his situation.

He had a headache - nothing new. He recently become more focused on experimenting with his Elixirs. The upside was that he not only perfected a few of his recipes, but he also developed a new one, that had immediately proven very useful. The downside was that he had to test them - and Leon was not too willing to help.

He was lying in something soft - no doubt a bed. After opening his eyes, he noticed unfamiliar, and very… white room. This was nothing new to him either - he rarely slept in the same place long enough for any room to become familiar.

What was new, and made him nervous was how… nice room was. In fact, it was the best looking room he had ever seen. It was spacious, with a lot of expensive-looking furniture. The floors were covered in equally expensive-looking carpets, and the bed he was lying in now was big and impossibly soft. While it might be strange thing to be nervous about - Jaune was used to waking up in much less comfortable beds, in much worse conditions. So much white brought to mind a hospital - and Jaune had to admit it he woke up in those quite often after either a job, or an experiment went wrong.

The lack of key elements, like the sound of medical equipment, the smell of cleaning agents, and Leon sitting next to his bed to fill him in on what happened, confirmed it was not a hospital.

Jaune got up, noticing his equipment was lying right next to bed - but not his clothes. He also noticed a suit hanging from the chair next to his bed.

He got up, and went to the attached bathroom. He splashed his face with water, trying to recall the events of the past day - and hopefully to find a clue of where he was and what the hell he is doing here.

 _Ok Jaune think. I went with Leon on that one job - exterminating a pack of Beawolves. It was bigger than expected, and led by an Alpha. We managed to kill most of them, but the Leader ran away. We chased the bastard to some cave - because of course it had to be a freaking cave. Since it was too dark to see anything, I decided to test that new Elixir I made. It was working fine, I was able to hear the bastard cleary. We killed it, went back to… whatever that village was called and got paid. Then we went back to Atlas, Leon mentioned he lined up some easy well-paying guard jobs for us. Just looking out for some rich snobs for a few days - not even out of city. We went to meet one client, Leon trashed their bodyguards when they didn't believed he was good enough for the job._

Jaune's eyes narrowed. He couldn't remember clearly what happened next. Ironically, it was a sharp pain in his head and wave of nausea that helped him remember.

 _Ah, right. Leon, like the asshole that he is, got hammered and sent me to deal with the second client on my own, saying something about me needing practice, and that I'm better with dealing with 'those kind of people'. I had no choice but to go - and then the rebound from all Elixirs I drank that day kicked in. I remember that I couldn't quite focus on anything, and had trouble seeing clearly. What was next…_

Jaune walked out of the bathroom, brows furrowed. He vaguely recalled talking with someone, but the details eluded him. He looked over the room he was in - and not seeing any other clothes he could wear, he picked up white suit he noticed earlier. It fit perfectly, as if it was tailored specifically for him. There was symbol of a snowflake on the back that he recognized from somewhere - but his mind was still too muddy to recall from where.

Now fully dressed, he walked to the window and opened it. Cold air washed over him, helping him focus.

 _Ok focus Jaune. You met with the client. I recall we met with some old dude before Leon got hammered. He excused himself, saying he had "important matters to attend to," and I went with the client. We got into a car, and then went into some big, white mansion. It was very clean - I remember thinking that it would be really unprofessional to puke all over this nice floor. Probably the only reason I managed to hold it in._

 _Then we went to a room, and talked._

His brow furrowed even more, Jaune desperately tried to recall the events from only a few hours before.

 _I think there was someone else there… Beside servants that is. A girl…_

At that moment, he heard knocking.

"Come in." He said, turning towards door.

Some older man walked in, and after him, a very pretty and very white young girl. The same girl from yesterday.

Then it hit him all at once.

"Good, you're awake. Follow me, there are some things we must discuss." Said Weiss Schnee.

Jaune gulped.

 _This… is bad._ He thought, following the daughter of his new boss - and the girl he manhandling last evening right in front of her father.

And didn't that sounded even worse than it was?

 _I am so fucked._

* * *

 **Poor Jaune. Got himself in quite the mess - and all because little Elixirs overdose. Next week we are back to Samantha shorts, but stoned!Jaune will be coming back in the near future.**

 **See ya all next week.**


	10. Why we Fight

**CH 9**

Blake stretched and glared at the display screen. Surprisingly enough, this didn't cause it do change what it was displaying. She checked the time and winced. It was time to finish her little investigation, lest sh be late for her next class. And she preferred to not be the one to test how forgiving Miss Goodwitch was.

On the way to class, she thought over what she had learned. After yesterday's conversation, she tried to fish for more information about Jaune. Doing so discreetly might have been difficult - if not for Yang. Her partner apparently latched on idea of there being something between the heiress and blond knight. Or just wanted to tease her.

Either way, that worked out well for Blake. To avoid unnecessary hassle, Weiss had decided to answer every question the blond brawler had. It wasn't too hard to throw in a few of her own, or subtlety push Yang to ask them.

In the end, she didn't learn much more besides what Jaune himself had told them. After completing his job as Weiss' bodyguard, he left Atlas for around a month. When he came back, he and his teacher were frequently taking jobs from the head of SDC. The only interesting bit of information she got from this talk was that Jaune would often accept payment in rare, or high-quality Dust rather than money. Weiss didn't know - or simply wouldn't tell - how much Dust he was getting, but Bake somehow doubted it was for crafting a weapon of mass destruction, supplying his private army, or some other, similar crazy thing.

Her own investigation didn't provide her with much more. She confirmed that both Jaune and Leon were registered Company members, and that Leon was currently doing some long-term job in Atlas.

And that was it. The Company was very serious about privacy. The only information publicly available was who was a registered member, if they were currently under contract, and the location of the last Company office they visited.

She walked into class and noticed her team sitting near team JNPR. Blake focused in on Jaune. He was currently pouting, arms crossed over his chest, and looking away from Yang, who was grinning widely. Judging by the others' reactions - namely Ruby and Pyrrha's blushing, Weiss' scandalized expression, Nora's grin, and Ren's raised eyebrow, Blake could guess what happened.

Jaune Arc proved very vulnerable to teasing, something her partner was more than happy to take advantage of. No doubt she threw out another innuendo, embarrassing the young Hunter.

 _Well, he doesn't look, or act, like he is hiding something._ Blake thought.

She had some experience with these kind of people. Afterall, she lived with them for most of her life - and was one herself. People with something to hide usually were much more reserved, they would steer conversations away from them, or try not to stand out.

Jaune Arc didn't fit this description at all. His reactions were too honest, too natural to be fake, or just discretion.

 _Either I am too paranoid, or he is Remnant's best actor._

Blake had enough self-awareness to know which option was more likely to be true.

Yang spotted her and waved.

"Hey Blake-y. Where have you been? We were starting to worry you decided to skip."

"In the library."

Yang blinked.

"Library?"

"Yes, library. You know, the place where they store books? You could visit it from time to time yourself, maybe you would learn something."

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Miss Goodwitch announcing the first duel.

Team RWBY cheered loudly when Weiss Schnee stepped into the arena. Her opponent - some green-haired guy using two tonfas, received as much of a cheer from his own team - and quite a few females in the audience.

From her place in the audience, Blake could both observe the fight - and Jaune. He was sitting there, his arms crossed, and apparently focused entirely on fight. He was nodding to himself from time to time, when one of the combatants made some slick maneuver.

Blake sighed.

 _Well, he hasn't done anything wrong. And this might really be just my paranoia talking._

After some brief consideration, she decided to let go of her investigation for now. Jaune looked like a genuinely nice person, and she could always secretly observe him. If it looked like he was up to no good, she would interfere, but for now, she probably should focus more on her school life.

Blake focused back on the fight taking place. Both opponents were much more closely matched than most of the fights she'd seen up till now. Weiss was able to keep her opponent at distance for most of the time, only taking short exchanges in melee.

The green-haired boy, who's name Balke didn't catch, was able to stay mostly unhurt thanks to what she assumed was his Semblance. He was able to put up see-through screens that acted as cover... they never lasted long, but were enough to stop most of Weiss' ranged attacks, then shattering into particles of light.

This had continued for almost four minutes now, and both combatants had visually slowed down. It started to look like the fight would end in a draw - both of them were at around forty percent of their Aura, and so far they were evenly matched. That all changed in the next exchange.

After Weiss fired her next barrage of Dust attacks, her opponent put up his barriers again. But this time it flickered, and disappeared much faster. Seeing an opening, Weiss fired a few more attacks. A few were dodged, a few hit the target, and the rest were blocked by another barrier that shattered almost instantly.

The green-haired boy stood up, but he staggered. Weiss charged in, eager to finish the fight - but Myrtenaster impacted another barrier instead of the boy's chest. He smirked, suddenly far less tired than he pretended to be just a moment ago. Weiss tried to retreat - but her back hit an invisible wall too.

 _So that was bait…_ Thought Blake.

Her teammate tried to escape - but it proved futile. She was trapped in a dome-shaped barrier that prevented her from escaping. Forced into melee, she did her best, but with no place to maneuver she was soon backed into the wall.

Soon, Myrtenaster was knocked aside, and the boy pinned both her hands above her head. He leaned close, and said something - no doubt asking heiress to surrender. Blake rolled her eyes - the guy apparently tried to act like prince charming.

 _Now, what will you do Weiss?_

The crowd was cheering.

The boy was smirking.

Weiss headbutted him.

Yang whistled.

"Wow. I wouldn't have thought Weiss-cream could pull off something like that."

Blake couldn't agree more. Everything about the heiress screamed elegance - even her weapon and fighting style. It was shocking to see her pull out a move more suited for a back alley fight.

The sudden attack was apparently enough to dispel the green-haired boy's control over his Semblance - something Weiss immediately took advantage of. She retreated and started bombarding her opponent with Dust attacks. He on the other hand, decided to just charge ahead, and try to lock the heiress into melee.

In the end, Weiss claimed victory - but by a very narrow margin. She won with only a few percent of her Aura above her opponent. People watching fight apparently appreciated a good show and were cheering loudly for both combatants. They got even louder, when Weiss offered her hand to the downed boy - and he accepted it.

When the heiress joined back with her team, it was to three people staring at her with mix of disbelief and curiosity.

"What?" She asked.

"Well… you headbutted that guy." Ruby pointed out.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did. If you didn't notice, I had rather limited options in that moment."

"Well yeah, but I'm still surprised you would pull off something like that." Yang said shaking her head.

Weiss snorted.

"I fight to win Xiao Long. You will do well to remember that."

Yang's grinned at that.

"Oh, I will."

Blake shook her head. It appeared that heiress had many more surprises in store for her.

* * *

"You saw that!? You saw that, right?! It was awesome!"

Jaune smiled, and Yang rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Ruby, we all saw that."

The young Huntress' first fight went rather well. Her opponent - Russel Thrush - was a fast and agile fighter, Jaune would give him that.. But he was simply no match for Ruby. She dominated the whole fight, from start to finish, using her Semblance to great effect. Her opponent simply couldn't keep up with the tempo the young huntress enforced - though, to be fair not many people probably could.

"I was like 'poof', and he was 'bam', and I was like 'zip' and he was 'paf.'" Ruby exclaimed, waving her arms around. Both teams snickered - except for Nora. She was stroking her chin, eyebrows narrowed.

"You know what Ruby? I think at the end it was 'baf', not 'paf.'"

Everyone stared at Nora - though she didn't seem to mind.

Ruby blinked a few times, and took on a contemplative look.

"You sure?" She asked after a few seconds.

Nora nodded.

"Yes, I'm positive."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Jaune put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't even try. That way lies madness."

She looked back to Nora and Ruby, and after brief consideration, nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. It's probably not worth the effort."

She turned back to him and grinned.

"So, Ladykiller, how does it feel to be the only one left out?"

Jaune shrugged. Out of both teams, he was the only one who hadn't fought in Miss Goodwitch class yet.

"It's not like it matters. I can always practice with my team."

"Well you could practice with me…" Yang said, winking at him.

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, but paused, thought about something for a few moments, then looked up and considered both teams for a moment.

"You know what…" he said eventually. "That is actually a pretty good idea." He nodded to her and called out to the rest of their teams.

"Hey guys, what would you say about some joint sparrings between our teams?"

"Right now?" Asked Ren, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nah, we just left combat class afterall."

"So how about this weekend?" Offered Pyrrha.

"I have something planned for Friday. So how about Saturday afternoon?"

"Sounds good." Ruby said nodding.

"Ok, then we are set. See ya later guys." Jaune waved and both teams separated. JNPR went to the room, while RWBY headed towards the library.

* * *

Ruby leaned against the wall, and let out tired sigh. Beacon had proved to be everything she hoped for - and more. Much more - possibly too much. At first, she was excited when she was appointed leader of her team - but now she was starting to have doubts. She was two years younger and everyone in her team was so… awesome.

Yang - her beloved older sister, and all around badass fighter.

Stoic Blake, who was always calm, with sharp mind and sharper senses. She was like a ninja!

Weiss Schnee - heiress to the biggest company in all of Remnant - and a person who apparently knew everything.

None of them said a word about her being leader, none of them complained. But Ruby still felt doubts gnawing at her. How was she supposed to lead so many amazing people? She had no idea what to do!

She pushed off of the wall, and continued wandering Beacon's corridors. After the study session in the library - where Weiss had to help her with homework _again_ \- she excused herself when rest her team went to the room. She just needed some time to herself, to think things through.

 _Why me? Why was it me who was selected to be team leader?_

She let out another sigh, rounding the corner - and bumped into someone.

"Ruby?" She heard a familiar voice ask.

She looked up and forced a smile.

"Hey Jaune. What are you doing here?"

"Just went on a walk to clear my head. You?"

"The same."

"Did something happen?"

She tilted her head to the side.

"No… why do you ask?"

"Well... you look pretty down."

"Nah, you're imagining things. I feel great!"

She exclaimed with a big smile.

Jaune just tilted his head.

"I'm serious, everything is great. I got to go Beacon two years early, I got to be on team with my sister, I got amazing teammates, I've already made more friends in two days than I did for two years at Signal. And I was even made team leader! How could things be anything but great?"

He crossed his arms and continued to stare at her. After a while he spoke.

"But they're not, are they?"

She stared back. Then hung her head.

"Am I so easy to read?"

"Well… I have seven sisters. Six younger. So I have a lot of practice with detecting when girls are feeling down."

She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you would."

"So, what's bugging you? I don't know if I will be able to help, but just talking about it might make you feel better."

She considered it for a moment. Jaune was cool - maybe even cooler than Yang - though she would never say it in front of her sister. He had lived in the Wilds for four years! So he was almost like a normal Hunter.

 _And he is a team leader too - maybe he can share a few tips!_

She nodded to herself. It couldn't hurt to ask - afterall, he offered to help!

"What makes a good team leader?" She asked looking him in the eyes.

He was stroking his chin for a few moments, then smiled at her.

"I have no idea."

She started at him.

He stared at her.

"W-what do you mean you have no idea?!" She exploded. _Was he making fun of her? Couldn't he see it was a serious problem for her?_

"Calm down Ruby." He said raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I really don't know."

"B-but you were training in the Wilds! And you were able to come up with a strategy to beat the Deathstalker on the fly! And you are always so confident, and you always know what to do, and what to say, and…"

"Ruby."

She looked up at him.

"First of all - me training in the Wilds does not mean I'm a great leader. I've never led a team before - it was always Leon who did the planning, I just followed orders. Second, I might have come up with a plan to kill the Deathstalker, but you came up with one to take down the Nevermore - which was a much bigger threat, and harder target to take out. Third - yeah you are right. I _act_ like I know what I'm doing. But in reality - I'm just winging it."

She stared at him for a few moments, hoping it would turn out to be very bad joke. But it didn't. She hung her head and whispered to no one in particular.

"Then how I'm supposed to get better?"

"Well, just learn."

She looked up at her fellow team leader.

"I mean - we are in school, aren't we? And this is a place to learn new things. So, if we don't know how to be good leaders, we just study it."

"B-but what if I make a mistake?"

He just shrugged.

"Then you'll learn from it. I've made tons of mistakes - some more serious than others. Sometimes it was me who had to pay the price." He looked above her, through the window.

"Sometimes it was someone else."

He looked back at her.

"There was a time when these mistakes were holding me back. I doubted myself, never believing I could do something right. Because of that, I was making more mistakes, and that made me doubt myself more. At one point, I was so convinced I was just a failure that I wanted to resign from becoming a Hunter.."

She gasped in shock. Jaune - not good enough to be a Hunter? That was ridiculous!

Jason smiled wistfully.

"When I told Leon about this, he said "the only people who don't make mistakes are the ones who do nothing.' He also said 'I didn't train your scraggy ass for two years for you to resign now.' He then proceed to beat my doubts out of me. Both literally and figuratively."

He smiled and Ruby giggled. This Leon guy sounded a lot like her uncle Qrow.

"So, don't worry If you are making mistakes at the beginning. No one can become perfect at something they've never done before on day one." He paused for a moment. " Well, maybe except for Weiss. But that's kinda her thing - being perfect. Better not intrude on Ice Princess territory."

She giggled again. Then let out a long sigh.

"Thanks Jaune. This helped a lot."

"Sure thing. What are friends for? If you ever need to talk again, or just hang, out let me know. Us team leaders have to stick together."

She shot him a smile.

"Sure thing."

He looked like he was considering something for a moment, then spoke up again.

"Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Actually, I was going to go out to Vale,\ to buy few things. Wanna tag along?"

Ruby almost said yes. Almost. She opened her mouth - and then shut it.

 _Wait, wait, hang out, as in just him and me? Wouldn't it be like a d…_

She cut off this train of thought instantly. Nope, nuh-uh. No way. Jaune was a friend - her first friend at Beacon. Sure he was a boy - a _male_ friend, but still friend. They could just hang out and it didn't have to mean anything, right? Yes, definitely. But this left another problem. If Yang found out - and she _would_ find out - that Ruby hung out with a boy alone, the teasing would be unbearable. No, she couldn't risk it.

But then again - refusing would be rude, wouldn't it? Jaune proposed to hang out with her to cheer her up, and if she just shot down his proposition - it might hurt him. What if he doesn't want to hang out with her afterwards?

The buzzing of her scroll broke her out of her thoughts. She checked it - and smiled at the message she saw.

"Sorry - Weiss demands my presence. Apparently my homework was less than perfect, so I need to redo it." She said with an apologetic smile

He laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." He then looked around and whispered to her conspiratorially

"Wanna know a way to pacify the Ice Princess?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. That sounded interesting.

"Sure."

Jaune grinned.

"Listen well. If she looks like she is in bad mood - so probably like 99% of the time - just feed her some chocolate muffins with blackberries. She loves them and will be much more manageable. Just don't overuse it - only once per two or three weeks."

Ruby nodded. She could understand that. She prefered cookies herself, but muffins weren't bad either. And while blackberries were clearly inferior to strawberries - everyone had their own tastes, and she was tolerant so she wouldn't judge.

They said their goodbyes and walked away. Ruby smiled. This little talk really helped.

Jaune was right. She didn't have to be perfect from the start, right? As long as she put in the effort, she would get better - and this was why she was going to school. To learn new things.

* * *

Jaune made his way towards the Beacon air dock, making a shopping list in his head. Just as he was about to board the bullhead heading to Vale, a few familiar voices caught his attention. He looked around, and sure enough - his team was marching towards the other bullhead. Well, Nora was marching, dragging Ren along, and Pyrrha followed after them.

He waved his hand to catch their attention - and soon enough, they were sitting inside the bullhead together.

"So, I thought you guys said you want to study more? What made you change your mind?" Jaune asked his team.

"Nora." Was Ren's simple answer.

Said girl smiled widely, apparently taking this as a compliment.

Jaune raised his brow at that and looked at his partner.

"Well, we _were_ studying. But then Nora started complaining that she and Ren only visited Vale briefly, and didn't have chance to look around properly."

Jaune nodded.

"Ok, I think I can imagine what happened next. What about you Pyrrha? Have you visited Vale before?"

The red haired Huntress nodded.

"Yes, on several occasions. But it was always work-related, interviews, Pumpkin Pete promotional campaigns, that sort of thing. Never had a chance to do any sightseeing in peace myself. That's why I decided to tag along. How about you Jaune? You are from around here right?"

"Well, kinda? My hometown is about four hours by plane from Vale. And I haven't visited the city too much for the past four years. Though I know a few nice places we could visit. I could show you around a bit if you want."

Pyrrha smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

They reached Vale soon after. After around two hours walking around the city, they decided to take a break in a small restaurant. The food was good, and a reasonable price. It was quite nice to just sit there and talk, while enjoying a meal and each other company. That is until they had to run away.

Surprisingly, it wasn't because of Nora - but Pyrrha. Jaune was in the middle of a grand tale about his first solo Grimm kill - when sudden a gasp draw the attention. A few tables away, two girls were staring at them with open mouths. One of them pulled out her scroll, they both looked at it, then at them again.

Not them but at Pyrrha, Jaune realized. One look at his partner's resigned face told him what would gonna happen.

Sure enough, soon they were surrounded by people. Jaune had no idea where they come from - he was certain that there was nowhere near as many people in the restaurant just a few moments ago.

His partner stood up, and told them to wait for a bit.

"They will go away when they get what they want." She said walking away under one wall to take picture with the two girls that recognized her. But it didn't end at that. Soon, more people followed - each eager to take advantage of the situation.

After around ten minutes, Jaune was starting to get impatient. Pyrrha already dealt with far more people that there were in restaurant, and the queue to his partner wasn't getting any smaller - quite the opposite. He walked to the bar to maybe order few more drinks -and froze when he heard what some guy next to him was saying into his scroll.

"Yeah, it's her I'm sure. Got my picture already… No, I'm not 'shitting' you. Here I'll send it to you… Yeah, I told you! Now stop wasting time and get over here. And call…" At this point Jaune stopped listening. A quick look around confirmed that there were more people sharing the news of the great Pyrrha Nikos appearing in some random restaurant in Vale.

He looked back to his partner. She was still standing near wall, taking pictures, and signing autographs with a smile on her lips. Jaune decided that he absolutely hated that smile - plastic and forced. It was nothing like the one Pyrrha had when she was genuinely happy. She looked up after singing yet another piece of paper - and for a brief moment their eyes met.

Jaune could feel something could stir in his stomach at look of utter resignation on his partner's face. He took a step towards her. He wasn't sure what he should do - but he knew he had to do _something._

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Ren and Nora. They both looked uncertain of what to do - but also determined to follow him if he decided to act.

Jaune took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it go.

"You guys hold the door. I'll grab Pyrrha." He didn't wait for a response - didn't even look back to see if they followed his instructions. He didn't have to.

A few people let out angry yelps when he pushed through the crowd surrounding his partner. Someone grabbed his hand, but he tore it free. The closer he got the harder it was to move forward. Jaune scowled and started to push even harder. There was no way he would let his partner go through this hell any longer.

* * *

Smile. Nod. Sign autograph. Laugh at joke. Simle. Pose for photo. Thank for compliment. Smile. Tell joke. Smile. Sing autograph.

Smile.

Pose.

Sign.

Pyrrha was in trance. How many times it had she done this? Tens? Hundreds? She was sure it hadn't reached thousands yet.

It was always the same. Masses of faces and names she couldn't hope to remember. Plastic smiles and laughs from her.

Plastic praises from crowd.

Smile. Pose. Sign.

She felt like a robot, like a machine programed to do only these three things.

Smile. Pose. Sign.

Over and over again. Until everyone was satisfied. Until everyone got their chance to interact with the idol, their hero, The Invincible Girl.

Pyrrha Nikos wondered what her friends were doing now. It was such a nice day - they had walked around Vale, joked and laughed together. It was going so well - and then she ruined everything. She hadn't even done anything- beside being there.

Beside being Pyrrha Nikos.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed another person stepping up to her - and used this as an excuse to free herself from guy who held her way too close when taking a photo - and just wouldn't let go.

She turned to the newcomer, hand extended and practiced smile on her lips. She already opened her mouth to greet him - and paused when a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Ok ladies and gentlemens, showtime is over." A very familiar voice called.

She just stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring at her partner. She didn't protested when he pulled her closer. She didn't try to stop him when he started to guide her towards the exit.

There were quite a few disappointed, or angry, shouts - but Jaune ignored them.

Pyrrha only vaguely registered them - she was still staring at her partner. His eyes were hard, face set in stone.

Someone got in they way and tried to stop them, then let out surprised yelp when they were lifted up and tossed aside, revealing a grinning Nora.

She skipped to them, and took her place on Pyrrha's left side.

They finally made it to the exit - where Ren was preventing any new people from entering the restaurant. He nodded at them and took Jaune's place on Pyrrha's right, while the leader of Team JNPR walked out and scanned the crowd outside.

Then they moved out, Pyrrha surrounded by her team. They pushed through the crowd, and she could hear the shouts. Some people were asking for autographs, others for photos. Someone was screaming that they loved her.

They walked ahead, and the crowd followed. Pyrrha took a deep breath and steeled her resolve.

"Jaune, I think…"

"Nope!" Shouted Nora.

"Rejected." Exclaimed calmy Ren.

"Denied." Stated Jaune.

She blinked a few times, unsure what was happening.

"Wha…"

"No Pyrrha." Said her partner. "We're not leaving you with these."

"They're just going to follow us. It's ok Jaune, I've done it many times. I'm used to this."

Her partner spared her a single look and scoffed.

"Well then MIss Nikos, you better get used to not not dealing with it, because I'm sure as hell not letting some random people pester my partner."

He look around, scanning the crowd that was still following them. Somewhere along the line, several people with professional cameras appeared and started taking photos.

Jaune scowled.

 _Paparazzi. I_ _hate those guys._

"Ok guys we're making run for it. Follow me, I know a place where we can get some privacy not far from here. Ready?"

They nodded.

"Go!"

They broke into a sprint. The crowd stopped, surprised at the sudden motion. Then, with a roar, it followed.

Pyrrha wanted to stop her team. Wanted to tell them that this was a mistake, that the best way to deal with this was to just stop and please crowd, give it what it wanted. But she couldn't.

She was laughing too hard.

* * *

"So… What is this place Fearless Leader? Some secret meeting place?" Asked Nora looking around room couriusly.

After around a half an hour of running around, they managed to lose people chasing them (good luck to civilians trying to keep up with Hunters). Then Jaune led them to an ordinary two-story building. There was a signboard above doors saying it was a pub. Pyrrha had a bit of reservation about visiting such an establishment. It wasn't too run-down, but they were all underaged. But with little choice left, she followed her leader.

When inside, Jaune walked towards the counter and showed something that Pyrrha couldn't see the barman. The man nodded and gave the blond Hunter some keys.

Jaune then led them through the back door to hallway filled with black, unmarked doors. He opened one, and let them in into a spacious room. Team JNPR made themselves comfortable, but understandably, they all had questions. What was this place? How Jaune did know about it? For once, Nora's statements sounded plausible at least.

"Well, you are not wrong Nora." Their leader said, walking towards one wall - and what looked like a control panel on it. He tapped a few buttons and soft, classical music started playing.

"I know you guys have some questions, but before I answer them, I want to make sure of something. You all know what the Company is?"

"You mean the Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company?" Asked Ren, and, after his team leader confirmed, he paused for a moment.

"All I know is that they are the go-to place if you need to hire qualified personnel for a limited time. Some call it a mercenary agency - but they can put you in touch with any type of freelancer professionals. From simple workers, or truck drivers, to qualified medical or science personnel - they have it all."

Jaune nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. They also organize professionals courses. And this." He said motioning over the room. "Is one of the Company's special meeting places. It's used when some influential people do not want anyone to see with whom they meet. It's all legal, an officially registered business - so don't worry, I'm not dragging you into a life of crime."

His last comment earned him a few chuckles from his team.

"But how do you know about this place?" Pyrrha asked

"Well isn't that obvious? I'm a registered member of Company, so of course I would know about it."

"You are?" Three voices sounded at the same time.

Jaune looked over his team, and the rubbed back of his head.

"Well… yeah. I mean, I told you guys I was working as a freelancer, right?" They nodded.

"Yeah, so I figured out it would be obvious that I'm also a part of the Company. Every freelancer with half a brain is registered there. It's too hard to get a good job otherwise."

His team nodded at that, but Pyrrha still looked uncertain,

"But still, it seems a bit strange you can just go in, and request such a private room out of nowhere. Aren't there any… regulations about using these rooms?"

Jaune just shrugged.

"There are. But if you are registered long enough, and have a good track record, they will let you bend the rules a bit. As long as you will don't interfere with normal meetings, or try to organize something illegal, you will be fine." Jaune chuckled. "Hell, me and Leon used places like that as free hotels more than a few times."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how do you get registered in Company? I thought you had to pass some test before they let you. And don't they have an age limit?" Asked Ren.

"Not really. The only condition to be registered as a member is that you can't be under education, employment or training in any official institution. There is no age limit, but if you are not legally an adult, you need to have permission form your legal guardians. After you register, you can take evaluation tests to determine your skills - that way, if you already have experience in some field, you will be able to sign up for better jobs."

"Does that mean you can't take any job on your own after you register?"

"No, you are free to do what you want. Though if you sign a contract for longer than three months, or register for any form of education for more than six months, your licence will be suspended. You don't lose anything - it's just that, bar some special cases, you won't be taken under consideration when assigning people for Company contracts."

"Ummm , Jaune?"

"Yes, Pyrrha?"

His partner looked uncertain about something. She fidgeted in her seat few times, then took deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"Please don't get it wrong way, I'm just curious. Why did you decided to attend Beacon?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by his partner.

"I-I didn't mean that you do not fit or anything like that!"

"Pyrrha…"

"It's just that you are very skilled already, and you know a lot about Grimm…"

"Yeah, but…"

"And you were doing contracts on your own already! Even for SDC, so you obviously could earn your living. So I was just wondering.."

"Pyrrha!"

She clapped her mouth shut.

"I'm not offended or anything. And I'll gladly answer your question - if you let me speak." He said with a smile.

Pyrrha blushed slightly and quietly mumbled. "I'm sorry".

Jaune nodded and pondered her question for a moment.

"I guess there are three main reasons why I went to Beacon." he said finally.

"First is 'recognition.' How much you earn as freelancer is solely dependent on how many people are willing to hire you - and how much they are willing to pay you. Most folks prefer someone with official, documented education, over someone with practical experience, but no documented qualifications. But if you have both - you have much easier time finding a good job."

"Second is 'education'. I may have learned a lot from Leon, but there is still much more for me to learn. I _could_ just rough it out in the Wilds on my own, being all cool and edgy, and learning from my mistakes. But it's not good for your health - it's better to learn from people who already made these mistakes and lived to tell the tale."

"And the third reason…" he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, I guess I just wanted to." He finished with a nervous laugh.

Pyrrha chuckled and sent him a friendly smile.

"Well, for whatever it's worth, I think that those are good reasons."

"So how about you guys? I can kinda guess why you want to go to Beacon - but why choose a Hunter career? It's not exactly the safest one."

Jaune's question caused his teammates to fall silent for a few long moments.

"Me and Nora experienced the horror that is Grimm early on in our lives." Ren finally said. "At first, I just wanted to run away, to hide from this nightmare. But that didn't work - images of my village's fall haunted me at nights. I first started training… I don't even remember the reason. But I do remember sleeping well for the first time in a long time after the first session. So I continued to train, to get rid of nightmares. I'm not sure when my thinking shifted from 'I want to stop my nightmares' too 'I want to stop such nightmares from happening ever again,' but I'm pretty sure Nora had something to do with it."

After finishing his tale, the black-haired boy shot a smile to his partner - who returned it.

 _They are so cute together._ Jaune and Pyrrha though at the same time.

"Yeah, Renny was really broody type back then. I would have knocked it out of him with Magnhild, but I didn't have it."

"Then why did you decided to become a Huntress, Nora?"

The ginger haired girl stared at her leader, like he asked the dumbest question ever.

"Well, duh? Who would take care of Renny if I wasn't there? He is fragile, you know. and he needs his hugs, and cuddles, and for someone to wake him up in the morning, and to drag him around when he falls asleep standing."

Jaune just shook his head. Those two were just too cute.

"Then what about you Pyrrha?" He asked his partner

She contemplated the question for a few moments, before finally answering.

"I guess it just felt… right to me. My parents were both Hunters, and I always wanted to be like them. I started training as soon as I was big enough. I never even considered the possibility of _not_ becoming Huntress. It's not like I was forced to do it or anything! It's just that… When I was five or so my mom let me hold her weapon once. And from this moment I knew I wanted to be Huntress - that it was my destiny."

Jaune was listening carefully to his partner's story, smiling all the time. Though at the end his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Destiny, huh? Well, to be honest I'm not biggest fan fo this 'destiny' talk. I believe every person makes they own fate" He said.

"Oh, I didn't mean 'destiny' as 'predetermined set of events.' It's more like… a goal. Something you know with a certainty is worth working towards."

"Goal, you say?"

Jaune hummed.

"Well, I can get behind that idea."

"So, how about you Fearless Leader? You told us why you went to Beacon, but not why you wanted to be a Hunter in the first place?"

"Well…" Jaune begin, thinking about how to answer to Nora's question. "It started similar to Pyrrha. My father is Hunter, and there were quite a few Arc's in the past who followed this path. I grew up listening to stories of the heroic deeds of my ancestors - and to stories about how my father was constantly saving people. In my eyes, 'Hunter' and "Hero' become the same thing. So, I wanted to be this cool Hero, just like in the stories I heard when I was little. But that was at the beginning - it changed when I started traveling with Leon. I saw that world is not as nice as in the stories, and heroes tend to die stupidly, fighting lost battles, when simply retreating would let them save more lives."

"I'm not saying heroes are bad," he added quickly seeing his teams somber expressions. " It's just that… well Leon was always saying that there are two types of Hunters - Heroes, who inspire people and are loved by the masses, and professionals, who would just get the job done as fast and as efficiently as possible. Both types are needed, both types will help people. But professionals tend to return home more often."

Jaune sighed and continued.

"I love my family, and I want to make them proud. I love to help people. I also greatly enjoy traveling, and even fighting Grimm. Being a Hunter allows me to do all of these things. I will still risk my life to protect civilians from Grimm. But I wouldn't throw my life away in some heroic last stand. Those things looks cool in stories and might inspire people. But they really suck for the ones who cared for the person doing said last stand."

After Jaune finished speaking, all of them fell silent, each one lost in they own thoughts.

Around half an hour later, Jaune got a message at his scroll informing him that they should vacate the room.

"Well, it has gotten pretty late." He said when they left the building. The sun was already touching the west side of horizon, and it was quickly getting dark.

"We better head to Beacon fast. It wouldn't do to miss the last bullhead, right?" His statement was met with a hum of approval from his team.

Before they reached air docks, the somber mood from earlier was lifted. Nora was telling some crazy tale, and Ren was trying to calm her down. Pyrrha was laughing, throwing the occasional question that Nora answered with a serious expression. Jaune was just shaking his head at his team antics.

Things were good. Really good. He wondered how long they would stay like that.

* * *

 **And here we go. Another chapter out of the way. Some people were asking in reviews why Jaune would want to go to Beacon - so there are his reasons. I also decided that if Jaune will be giving his - rest of team JNPR should follow the suit.**

 **Pyrrha was easy enough, since she basically said it herself - she felt like it was her destiny.**

 **Nora and Ren were tricker. We know nothing about they motivations. After such traumatic experience it wouldn't be surprising for them to just want to hide. I would imagine this being the case for Ren - he watched his home being destroyed, and his family dying. So I guess this had bigger impact on him than on Nora. I could see him just wanting to stay as far away from Grimm as reasonably possible.**

 **But then Nora happened. And Nora do not care about silly things like common sense and reasons.**

 **In other news: This Thursday the second season of Fighting Mean, titled Fighting Smart starts. Written of course by JJD - so stay tuned.**

 **JJD: Hey folks. Cr00cy was kind enough to let me put in a shameless plug here. Fighting Smart launches on Thursday, and if you've read Fighting Mean, then you know the drill. If not, well I'm a simple man - I enjoy writing violence and snark - with MAYBE some character growth and emotions...if we have the time. Hope to see some of you over there!**

 **And now this week omake:**

* * *

 **What's Your Type?**

She smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress for what must have been the hundredth time in the past few minutes. Her eyes scanned over the tablecloth she had laid out, assuring that everything was in its place.

The basket was perfectly centered, not too close to one end or the other, neutral.

The glasses were clean and set.

The napkins folded and ready.

Everything sat on a grassy hill underneath a shady oak tree overlooking the river that ran by the town.

Everything was perfect.

Except Jaune…Jaune was late

.

Was it too romantic? She meant for it to be a little romantic, but what if she scared him off? Was it too much? Did she overdue it?

 _Breath girl!_ She thought.

 _It's Jaune, he's always late. If he wasn't late, he wouldn't be Jaune. Just be patient._

As if on cue, she watched as a crop of messy blond hair started to crest the hill.

 _Oh thank God!_

He smiled at her, "Hey Sam." He looked over the picnic and raised an eyebrow. "This is really nice, what's the occasion?"

"N-no occasion! I'm allowed to do nice things!" She blurted. "Besides, you're late!"

His smile widened into a grin. His stupid, charming, 'you love me anyway' grin. "I usually am."

She poked a finger at him. "And it's rude! You'll be lucky if you get any!"

He cocked his head to the side. "Am I going to?"

She sighed.

 _I need better bluffs._

"I suppose…"

He clapped his hands together. "Great!"

 _Damn you Jaune Arc._

She motioned for him to sit, then started passing out the food.

 _Alright, hold it in Sam. Wait till he starts eating, till he's relaxed before starting operation 'Dork Date.' You can wait._

She almost strangled him as he took roughly an hour and a half to put mayonnaise on his sandwich. At least it FELT like that long.

 _Breath._

She distractedly went about preparing her own food in an attempt to make time pass faster.

"Sam, you ok?" A slightly concerned voice called.

"Y-yeah, of course!" _Does he know!?_ "W-why do you ask?"

He shook his head. "It's just…I've never seen someone spread mayonnaise on their apple before."

 _Dammit!_

"I'm...an innovator?" She tried weakly.

He shrugged.

 _Bless you for being dense, Jaune Arc._

He took a bite of his sandwich.

 _Finally!_

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?" He answered around his sandwich.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

He choked.

 _Was that too forward?_

"What?!" He coughed.

She huffed. "It's a simple question! Do. You. Have. A. Girlfriend?"

He shook his head animatedly. "No! Who's dating anyone around here!?"

"Bobby says that Marry and him are going steady."

He laughed. "Does she know that?"

She sighed. "Probably not." She gave it a few moments. "So…if you were dating someone, what would be your type?"

"My what-now?"

 _Dammit Jaune._

"Your type Jaune. The sort of girl you like." He stared at her blankly. "Ok, I like older boys with lighter hair and eyes. They have to be good with family too!"

 _Was that too on the nose?_

She gestured to him. "Now you go."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Why was it adorable when he did that? Clearly some sort of dork magic.

"Geez, I never really thought about it." He hummed. "I guess…I like long hair…"

Hers was short.

"…that's a light color, like almost white…"

Hers was red.

"…maybe my age of slightly older..."

 _Ok, we're 0 for 3. Today could have gone better…_

"…but…"

Her heart stopped.

"I think I could be ok with just about anybody as long as we could just hang out." He gestured to the picnic. "Like this."

She searched his face for any recognition of what he'd just suggested.

 _Nope, none. Figures._

He took another bite of the sandwich. "This is really good Sam."

"Uh-huh." She wasn't really listening anymore.

 _I wonder how long it'll take to grow out my hair? Will mom get mad if I dye it?_

* * *

 **Oh, Jaune you poor oblivious fool. How is it that green eyed, red-haired girls fall for you, and you do not notice? Anyway, see you guys next week.**


	11. Hunting Twins in Moonlight Forest

**CH 10**

It was Friday afternoon, and Jaune was doing the same thing any normal seventeen-old would be - counting the minutes until his last lesson ended.

He spared one more glance at the clock hanging on the wall, just above the blackboard.

 _Only five minutes and thirty four seconds…_

It wasn't that lesson was boring. Quite the opposite - while Social Studies didn't sound like something you would have at combat school, this lesson was almost entirely focused on laws regarding Aura users in general, and Hunters in particular.

Jaune sighed and looked at the clock again. Five minutes and twenty five seconds. Turns out constantly checking time does not make it flow faster. Heh, who would have thought.

The blond hunter let out another sigh, and tried to focus on what the teacher, a lean, older man who's name he didn't catch, was saying. Then something hit him in the head.

Jaune didn't have to look to know what it was - he could see a small ball of paper roll and stop next to his leg. He didn't turn around to check who might have thrown it either.

He could hear team CRDL snicker behind him.

It didn't take long for the four-boy team to earn a rather bad reputation at Beacon. It was only four days since initiation and just about everyone knew that they were bullies, racists, and overall assholes. And apparently sore losers. Almost immediately after Thrush lost to Ruby, Team CRDL started bullying the young girl and her team. Or tried to at least. When Yang found out - she was furious. She apparently managed to corner the leader of bully-team, Cardin Winchester, alone in some secluded spot. If his blackened eye and broken nose were any indicator - their talk went about as well as expected.

But instead of learning their lesson, they decided to retaliate - by dumping some kind of stinking gel on Yang's hair.

That day every student at Beacon accepted one, simple rule: do not mess with Yang's hair.

Jaune had no idea why they had chosen to focus on him - but he could guess. Judging team RWBY to be too hard of a target, CRDL somehow came to the conclusion that bullying their friends would be best way to get back at the all girl team. And since it was no secret that team JNPR was close friends with four girls - they were the obvious target.

It started with the occasional snarky remark, bumping into him when they passed each other in the corridors, that sort of thing. Then they started throwing things at him, as well as the taunts.

Jaune didn't know what they wanted to achieve - and didn't care. Team CRDL had gotten in trouble with the teachers quite a few times already - mostly for interrupting lessons. Yet somehow, each time they managed to convince themselves that it was not their fault - but someone else's.

Jaune shook his head to dispel these thoughts, and instead decided to do something productive - that is, to continue to stare at the clock.

 _Just one minute…_

He felt as if every second took twice as long to pass as the previous one. But eventually, time passed and the lesson ended.

Like any normal teenager, Jaune threw his notes into his bag and ran out of the classroom, happy to finally be free of classes, and be able to do something fun.

Unlike any normal teenager, this didn't included going out to the city, hanging out with friends, or trying to pick up girls, but rather getting ready to go out and hunt bloodthirsty monsters with one of his teachers.

Jaune Arc was not a normal teenager after all.

The blond Hunter couldn't stop his grin when he was retrieving his gear from his locker.

 _Oh, this is gonna be fun._

It was on the way to docks, where he ran into team RWBY.

"Jaune? Where are you going?" Asked Ruby, tilting her head to one side.

"I have… kind of a special assignment."

"Special assignment? With whom?"

"Profesor Port."

This was enough to cut off any further questions. The four girls looked around nervously, as if expecting the portly professor to come out of nowhere and start terrorizing them with one of his tales.

When he didn't appear, they excused themselves and made a hasty retreat. Jaune smiled and shook his head. This scene was similar to when he told his own team about his little bonus assignment.

At first they were curious, even proposed to help him out, but when they learned that it would require spending a lot of time with their Grimm Studies professor - they quickly backed off.

When he made it to bullhead docks, Professor Port was already waiting for him.

"You ready to hunt some monsters, my boy?" He greeted

"I wouldn't be here otherwise." Jaune answered with a slight smile.

"Ha! Good answer my boy. Let's go then - our prey won't hunt itself."

* * *

Jaune's foot was tapping nervously. They had been flying for about twenty minutes - and it would take them around forty more before they reached their destination. He asked the older Hunter for any details on their mark - but apparently, Port didn't have anything specific. They were supposed to meet with the overseer of the woodworker camp they were heading to, and learn more from him.

But that meant they had nothing to talk about. Well, nothing neutral. Jaune had a few questions, but wasn't sure how to ask them to not offend the older man.

"What's the matter, my boy? You look anxious."

Jaune stopped looking out of the small window, and turned to his companion. Peter Port was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well…" Jaune began and paused, looking for best way to voice his questions.

 _Oh, well. I can always just ask. I doubt he will be offended by that._

"Actually sir..." he began, but stopped when Professor Port raised his hand.

"No 'sir's'. We are not here as teacher and student, but as two Hunters. No need to be so formal."

Jaune nodded and continued.

"I wanted to ask you something Peter."

"Go ahead."

"It's about what you said earlier, about combat schools not providing a good enough education. I was just wondering - is it really that bad? And if it is - why academies like Beacon don't adjust their teaching level? I mean, why would you waste your time with lessons that no one will understand anyway?"

Peter just laughed bitterly.

"If only it was so simple." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"You see Jaune, the problem is that there is no unified teaching program for Hunters. combat prep schools are basically normal middle schools, with a few added lessons. People who go to such schools don't all decided to become Hunters. Some go on to Police academies, some decide to join military, others become security personnel for private companies."

"That's why these schools have to balance out their classes to accommodate to all those career choices. On top of that, such schools, while founded by the Kingdom, are usually private institutions. And as such, individual teaching policies vary greatly between schools. Some put more emphasis on teaching theory, some less. Some teach basic of first aid, others survival in the Wilds. And if that wasn't enough - they can change their policies from year to year - all depends on who Headmaster is, and who sits on the board of directors."

Peter looked lost in thought for a moment, then scoffed and shook his head.

"That's why the first week is as much an adjustment period for us teachers as much as it is for new students. We have to get an idea what the general level of education that our students are at, and then we adjust accordingly."

"Can't you just make some tests before the year starts?"

"We do. But they are not perfect. Even if we say that such test will not affect grades, students tend to try and… help the odds a bit."

Jaune laughed and shook his head.

 _I guess a teacher's job isn't so easy…_

"So, how bad can it get?" He asked aloud.

Port looked at him confused, so Jaune elaborated.

"How badly unprepared can people be after combat school?"

Port was looking in distance for a few moments, then shook his head. When he looked back at Jaune his expression was somber.

"Five or six years ago, one of Vale's… 'elite' almost entirely removed practical combat classes from their teaching program."

Jaune started at older Hunter for a few moments. Then burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that was a good one. But seriously..." Jaune paused when he noticed one small, but worrying detail.

Port was not laughing.

"That _was_ a joke, right?"

The older Hunter didn't answer.

"Please, tell me…" Jaune sighed and hid his face in his hands. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Sadly, no."

"How could an elite school do something so stupid?"

"Because this was a school for social elites. One day a kid of someone influential got his ass kicked too hard during a spar. I don't know if this was in fact something serious, or the kid just threw a tantrum after losing, and went to daddy to cry. Daddy turned out to be influential enough to force such an idiotic teaching doctrine so that no harm would come to his precious son - be it to body, or pride."

"How did those people even get passed initiation after that?"

"It's simple." Port answered with a shrug. "They didn't."

Any further talk was interrupted by the pilot announcing they are about to land.

A few moments later, they touched down in a large clearing and Jaune took in the camp. Two wooden houses, around ten or so tents, and a lot of logs drying in the sun. There were almost no defenses - only a large fence made of wood.

 _Well, it's only a temporary camp. No one would bother with luxuries._ Thought Jaune.

They said their goodbyes to the pilot, and walked towards two burly men standing not far from them.

"Mr. Cobalt Grey?" Peter called out.

One of the men looked up, winced and spat to the side.

"Ya, tha Hunters who 're supposed to 'elp us?"

"Indeed we are good man! My name is Peter Port, this here is Jaune Arc."

The lumberjack just tsked and spat again.

"Then I 'ope you folks are 'etter than the last one. Said beast's dead, took the money. And now we have two of 'em instead of one."

"Don't worry sir. We are professionals. We guarantee that we will solve your problem permanently."

"Ya, sure. We will see. Anyway… take this." He said, handing a piece of paper to Port. The old Hunter unfolded it, revealing a crudely drawn map. There were drawings of few houses, and few 'x' around it, with different numbers. Some had a few notes next to them too.

"We marked spots where folks saw monster. We added directions and info on any landmarks nearby. It's not prettiest thing, but should be enough."

Peter nodded.

"Yes, indeed, this will be enough. One question - could you tell me where you saw it for the first time?"

Cobalt looked lost in thought for a few moments.

"Here is when we 'aw it for first time. Saw it my'elf, It looked like big ball of blue 'moke." The lumberjack pointed at spot farthest north from camp.

"Ball of smoke you say?" Peter asked, stroking his chin. He cast a glance to Jaune, who nodded. This sounded like one of the beginning phases of Wraith forming. If it was true, they knew where to look for their mark.

At least one of the two.

"That's very useful information. Thank you good sir."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"We saw the second one only once, around here." Cobalt said, pointing at one of the marks.

" 'ome folks might have been mistaken, since monster shows up only at night, but…" he trailed off.

Both Hunters just nodded. Twins could travel very far from each other, so it was not unlikely people from camp were encountering only one.

* * *

"So, what now?" Asked Jaune. They were sitting in one of the two buildings in the camp that turned out to be cafeteria.

"We have about an hour and a half until it gets dark enough for Wraith to come out. Guess its a good time to make some planning. Tell me Jaune, do you know how to flash your Aura?"

"Yeah." blond knight answered, looking at his older companion surprised. "Isn't it like a basic Aura control exercise?"

"Yes, indeed. But did you know you could use it to locate things when you can't see?"

The blond hunter blinked, and shook his head slowly.

"No…"

Peter nodded and took sip of his tea.

"It's a rather useful technique, but requires very good Aura control. It's a similar action to when you focus your Aura to block attack. But instead of focusing it on a single spot, you have to send out several bursts from your whole body at regular intervals. You can use it to locate an object that you can't normally see."

"So it's kinda like sonar?"

"That is… a rather good comparison, I'd say. Though it's not easy thing to do. Not only you have to make sure you spread your Aura evenly in all directions, and at the same speed at that, there is also the problem of the amount you expel. Too little, and you won't get good enough feedback. Too much, and you will run dry fast. It's an advanced technique that I usually teach people in their third year. Sometime earlier, if someone has especially good Aura control.

Jaune nodded.

"Well this certainly sounds useful. I guess it helps a lot when fighting in the dark?

"True. Also good against these pesky illusions. Well, that reminds me of this one time in Mistral…"

From there Peter Port started a tale of yet another of his great adventures. Jaune leaned closer, absorbing every word.

Seriously, how could anyone find such tales boring?

* * *

"Better. Now try it again. Remember - whole body my boy!"

Jaune nodded and focused. He could feel his Aura coursing through his body, strengthening and protecting it. He focused on this power, took hold of it. Then tried to push it out, like a wave.

Results were mixed. Most of his Aura come out of his hands, and shot out in a straight stream, rather than disperse in all directions like it should. While he managed to send out wave from his whole body - it wasn't a perfect dome like when Peter did it.

"Ok, that's enough. Now rest, we will be hunting soon."

Jaune nodded, and sat on a log. After around a hour, when Peter finished his tale, the young Hunter immediately asked to be taught how to use this 'Aura sonar'. While he had his own methods to deal with invisible enemies - one couldn't have enough tricks up his sleeve.

Peter was all too happy to comply, but warned that this is not something that can be learned immediately.

"I must say that your Aura control is remarkable."

Profesor Port was considering his young companion for few moments, then spoke again.

"But don't think you will be able to master this technique anytime soon. It will probably take you few weeks, maybe months before it's at the level it can be used effectively."

"I understand." Jaune answered. And then he recalled something that he meant to ask earlier.

"Hey, Peter, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?"

"During initiation, why you didn't kill the Harrowed yourself? I initially assumed you just couldn't locate it since it's true form was invisible. But with this Aura sonar of yours…"

The older Hunter humed.

"Well, two reasons. First of all - this technique is not too precise. You can tell where something is, and in what direction it is heading, but it's vague. I could tell that there was _something_ there after I killed its material body - but it was hard to tell where exactly, or its shape. Plus range is limited, and the damn thing was fast - couldn't get a good read on it."

Jaune nodded. That made sense - if not for his Aura vision, he doubted he could take damn thing out.

"And the second reason?"

Peter just smiled.

"Isn't it obvious, my boy?" When Jaune looked at him quizzically, the old Hunter just shook his head.

"I didn't try to kill it because you were the one who encountered it first, and you didn't give up on hunting it. And it's rude to steal someone's else prey."

Jaune nodded. This might have sounded like stupid reason, but a lot of people followed it. It was part of the Code of Hunter afterall - a set of unwritten rules that almost everyone living far from the Kingdoms' safety knew.

"So, while we are at this topic, there is something I was curious about myself. How could you track down the beast? Initially, I thought you used this technique I told you about, but now it's clear to me you must have some other trick. Mind sharing it with this old man?"

Jaune smiled. Another rule from the Code - pay back your debts. If someone helped you - you should help too. If someone gave you something useful - be it tool, food, or knowledge - you should repay in kind.

"Sure I will. Before I explain, let me grab something."

It took only a moment to grab the box with his elixirs. When the older Hunter saw its contents, he raised an eyebrow.

Jaune smiled, and, with not a small amount of pride, started explaining.

* * *

"It starts to form." Said Peter Port three hours later, observing a small lake with ruined house standing next to it.

"Yeah, I can see it." Jaune answered with a nod.

Just a few moments later, the Harrowed formed fully, and both Witchers could take a good look at their prey - well at least half of it.

From this distance, someone could briefly mistake it for a woman. Though a few details, like the fact it was almost two meters tall, floating in the air, slightly see-through, had long, sharp claws and was missing half of its body were quite good indications that it was not a person.

The Harrowed floated in the place for a few moments, then started to wander aimlessly around the ruined house.

 _This has to be the place it died._ Thought Jaune.

"Ok, Jaune, my boy, it's time to put this poor soul to rest. Can you see anything that you could use to track the other half?"

"Not sure. There is a lot of residual corrupted Aura around there. And it leaves a trail behind it when it moves. I guess I'll just circle around the clearing and see if I can find anything."

"Start from over there." Peter said, pointing to the east side fo clearing. Seeing his companion's questioning glance he continued.

"Look at it's hair. Normally they just float with the wind, but in the case of Twins they tend to twist towards other half."

Jaune nodded, and jumped down from the branch he was sitting on. The night was clear, but the forest was still very dark. Not that it mattered much for the young Hunter - with his Aura vision, he could see as clear as if this was a day. It took him around ten minutes to find what he was looking for - a thin trail of Aura going from clearing in vaguely east direction.

Jaune smiled and pressed on the earpiece in his right ear.

"Port?"

" _Yes?"_

"I think I found the link. Will follow it now."

" _Understood."_

Jaune broke into a light sprint. It was still early - sun set only about an hour and a half ago, but this was a race against time. The more time passed, the more Aura the Twins will be able to gather from its surroundings. The more Aura it gathers - the stronger it will be. If it gathers enough it will be able to leave its spawn area, and will start wandering around the forest.

It would be a pain to try to find it if that happened, so Jaune was running faster than he would usually allow himself in an unfamiliar forest.

Around thirty minutes later, he finally found his target. It was wandering around a small clearing, with a simple wooden cabin, that was in surprisingly good shape. It looked like it was abandoned only recently. After a brief examination, Jaune noticed big stone, with a mound of earth in front of it.

 _A grave? Did someone bring a body - or at least part of it - from the other cabin, and bury it here?_

Jaune shook his head. This was not time for such thoughts. He activated his earpiece again.

"Port, I found it. It is in a small clearing with a new-looking house. There is something that looks like a grave there, but I can't get a closer look without it noticing me."."

" _Roger. Get ready to engage on my mark."_

Jaune pulled out Eclipse and started reading it with his Aura. Slowly the blade morphed, black mist surrounding his hand. Moments later, a low hum could be heard, and a blade darker than night itself was surrounded by thin glow of white light.

" _Jaune?"_

"I'm listening."

" _I'm in position. Judging by its density and size, it should start dispersing very fast after death."_

Jaune nodded to himself. This was normally a good thing - it meant there was less chance for some residual corruption to remain in the area, and cause the Harrowed to respawn.

Unfortunately, in the case of Twins, this also meant they would have to time killing both halves more precisely.

If they messed up the timing, the Harrowed would reform as a whole in one of the spots, or, in the worst case scenario, burst out in a wave of corrupted Aura that would reform _somewhere._ Possibly in two whole. And it could take few hours, as well as few years to do so.

 _Let's not fuck this up. It would be embarrassing as hell._ Thought the young Witcher, listening to his companion instructions.

" _Listen Jaune, we probably have only about two minutes before they disperse. Whoever kills first, contact the other person."_

"I understand."

" _Good. Don't hesitate to just rush it after you receive contact - its special abilities will be much weaker than a normal Wraith, you should be able to take most of them head-on. But don't be too reckless otherwise."_

Jaune smiled. _Once teacher, always teacher, huh?_

"Got it." He said aloud, taking a few deep breaths.

" _You ready?"_

"Yes."

" _Then let us begin."_

Jaune smiled and dashed out of the woods. The Harrowed spotted him almost instantly, and with a loud screech, charged ahead.

Jaune ducked under the swipe of its claw, and slashed at its torso. The Wraith hissed and briefly turned into smoke, dashing away. The Witcher followed, scoring another hit as soon as the Harrowed formed again.

Its 'hair' lit up in a pale blue, and Jaune could feel a shiver run down his spine.

 _It must have been an ice-type._ He thought, stabbing towards the Harrowed's chest. It dashed back, its bottom half turning into smoke and sinking into the earth. Jaune jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a few shadowy spears that erupted from the earth where he was standing just a moment before. He rolled, jumped to his feet, continued to run in circle, spears hot on his heels.

Just before Jaune completed a full circle, the Harrowed stopped its attack, and instead dashed forward. The blond Witcher slashed, but it turned into smoke and passed through him, running towards the house.

He followed, catching it just before it reached the wooden wall. Eclipse pierced through its back, eliciting a painted screech. The Harrowed's hair twisted, and sank into its head.

Jaune jumped back, four tentacles erupting from the Twin's body and chasing him. He sidestepped one, ducked under another, and rolled out of the way of a third. The fourth latched onto his left arm - and immediately started sucking out his Aura.

Jaune winced. He focused, on his Aura, taking hold of it and stopping the flow. This brief tug of war was interrupted when Eclipse cut through the tentacle. It erupted into smoke, and the Harrowed let out another painted howl.

The remaining three tentacles shot towards him. Jaune dashed forward, dogging two, and ignoring a third that latched onto his stomach. It couldn't hurt him in any way, as long as he didn't let it drain his Aura - and he had a firm hold on it, not only thanks to practice, but also his Semblance.

More spears shot towards him, but he continued forward. He swung Eclipse in a wide arc, cutting most of them down. They shattered, turning into smoke - but more formed, some of them going past his guard.

Those impacted Aura, hardened with his Semblance into an impregnable wall.

The Harrowed rose about one meter in the air and pulled its head back, its body emitting a soft glow.

Jaune ignored urge to turn around and cover his ears.

That would be grave mistake when facing a regular Wraith - but instead of releasing a powerful wave of sound and light that would leave its prey stunned and disoriented, the Twin managed to let out only a brief flash of soft light and a loud screech.

Eclipse removed its head a second later, before impaling its chest yet again. This time, the Harrowed had no answer, and the Witcher pushed his sword deeper, pumping more Aura into his blade.

There was a sound like shattering ice, and wave of shadow erupted from the Harrowed.

" _I am guide for Damned…"_

* * *

Jaune felt cold. Impossibly cold, like there was no shred of warmth left in his body. And it was not only physical warmth - it was like he lost all hope. What was the point in doing anything? He would just fail again.

What was the point in helping people? They would just use him.

What was the point in having friends? They would just abandon him.

What was the point in living? He/ _she_ would just die anyway.

Alone. Cold. Hungry. Lonely. So lonely. With no one to rely on, no one to help her when she was alone and cold. What was point in struggling to live on? She could just disappear and no one would notice. And if they did? They would probably be happy that she was finally gone.

It would be nice to feel warm one last time tough. Just a tiny little bit would do.

* * *

It took him a good few minutes to be able to stand up. Even then, he was shaking violently, his teeth clattering. He staggered towards the stone he noticed earlier - and true enough it was a grave. He could barely make out the name and date of death - over ten years ago.

" _Jaune? Are you alright?"_

He took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah. Rebound hit me hard, needed a few moments to get a hold of myself."

There were a few moments of silence.

" _How?"_

"She died from hunger or froze to death - not sure which one, possibly both."

" _Alone, cold and hungry. No one should die like that."_ Jaune could almost see old hunter shake his head somberly.

Jaune kneeled, taking closer look at epitaph engraved on stone.

"At least she was not forgotten."

" _That's good to for any other possible sources of corruption, I'll do the same on my side. Then head back to camp, we will meet there."_

"Roger."

Jaune ended the transmission, and walked towards the house. It wasn't big, and there was little in terms of furniture. It didn't take him long to check the whole place - and besides one photo he didn't find anything interesting.

* * *

When he reached camp, Port was already there talking with Cobalt.

"..one?"

"Yes. But I say it again - do _not_ take anything from either house. Best thing would be to burn both down."

The woodcutter nodded few times, stroking his chin.

"I guess ya right. No folks would wanna sleep in a haunted house anyway."

He spared a single glance at Jaune

"Or one that _used_ to be haunted." He added. His tone clearly indicated that he was not convinced the Harrowed was dealt with, but was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Jaune shared a look with Port, and both just shrugged. They bid farewell to Cobalt and walked to the tent he pointed out. They left their things inside, and started a small campfire. A few people looked at them strangely, some pointing out there was a perfectly fine cafeteria just a few steps away.

They just didn't understand.

Port disappeared inside the tent for a few moments, then walked out with a thermos in hand. He filled two metal cups with its content - black tea judging by the smell.

He handed one to Jaune, and took a long sip form other. He then sat on the log they dragged in front of their tent earlier and let out long, satisfied sigh.

Jaune joined him, and took a tentative sip from his own cup. He held the warm liquid in his mouth, judging taste.

"Whisky?" He asked finally.

Port looked at him with surprise, then smiled and nodded.

"It is, my boy. How could you tell? I purposefully added less than usual, seeing as you are underaged."

"Leon - Hunter that was training me - used it often when he prepared Camp Tea for me. That or vodka. Was always saying that if he has to give alcohol to the underaged, he could at least give them something good."

"Ha! I already like this Leon." He took another sip.

"But there is one more thing you can add to make it taste even better."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

Jaune smiled. It was his turn to go inside the tent. When he walked out, he was holding a plain glass bottle, with some dark liquid inside. He opened it, and poured a bit inside his cup. He raised the bottle towards the older Hunter, a question in his eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, Port offered his cup. Jaune smiled and poured a bit of the dark, syrupy liquid.

"Hmmm. Is it... Black elderberry? And something else…"

"Cherry."

Port took another sip, and held it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.

"I must admit, it really tastes good."

Jaune hummed in agreement.

They spent a few moments just staring at the fire, sipping their teas.

"Jaune?" Peter said finally.

"Yeah?"

"Since you know about Camp Tea, I'm sure you knows what comes next?" He said, his voice serious.

"Of course." The blond answered. He took one more sip, and mused for a few moments. He smiled when one particular memory came to mind.

"So, me and Leon were on this escort job in Mistral…"

He might not be able to mach the older Hunter - but he had a few stories of his own.

* * *

 **And that wraps up this week chapter. It's shorter than usual, and I briefly considered adding some more text, but it felt forced. As it is, ch 10 in focused solely on Jaune's first proper hunt since joining Beacon - and I liked it.**

 **Anyway, here is this week omake:**

* * *

 **The Bag**

She watched from her place on his bed as he wandered around the room, collecting various odds and ends that he'd need for his journey and placing it in the bag.

That bag.

She didn't know she could hate an inanimate object so much.

Each item placed in the bag, each pocket filled, was a promise.

A promise that he'd be leaving soon.

The bag continued to betray her as it started to reach the brim, Jaune nodding in silent approval of his work.

She'd thought about hiding something, to delay the process even a little…but it wouldn't have stopped him, he wanted this too much, he NEEDED this too much.

It didn't stop it from hurting.

She had to be strong.

"Almost ready to go save the world?"

He turned and smiled back at her. "Yeah, I think so."

They sat in silence for a few moments, each realizing what this meant.

"You're going to write me, right?"

"Every chance I get." He promised.

"You better."

She pushed off the bed and walked over to the boy, looking up into his eyes.

She threw her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you, you dummy."

He gently stroked her hair. "I'm going to miss you too brat. I'll be back before you know it."

She squeezed him tighter, no longer able to hold back the tears.

"You promise?"

He squeezed her back.

"I promise."


	12. A Little Friendly Violence

**Here we go with next chapter. JJD made this readable.**

* * *

 **CH 11**

"So… are you really going to eat all of that?" Asked Yang, looking warily at the mountain of food that her fellow blonde brought over.

Jaune looked up at her, then down at his tray, and back at her.

"Well.. yeah. I'm a big boy, and I need my nurishment."

"If you say so…"

Jaune smiled and focused on his breakfast. When he was almost done, Ruby called up to him.

"So.. how did your special assignment go?"

He looked up at his fellow team leader, swallowing the last bit of his breakfast.

"Yeah, I heard you came back pretty late. Some people were getting worried about you…" Yang cut in, smirking at him.

Next to him, Pyrrha suddenly become very interested in her empty tray.

"I'd say I came back quite early, rather than late. It was only an hour or so until dawn when we got back to Beacon. As for the assignment - it went very well, I'd say. We took down our prey, and I learned a few things."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Yang shook her head. Then her eyes narrowed.

"You aren't going to try and use your sleepless night as excuse to not show up on our date?"

It took Jaune a few seconds to realize what she was talking about.

"If you mean the joint training session we agreed on, then no, I'm not going to miss it."

"Good to hear. I kinda want to see what you are made of." Yang's gaze shifted to Pyrrha. "And get a crack at miss Champion over there. What do you say, P-money. Wanna go a few rounds?"

Pyrrha smirked and nodded.

"With pleasure."

"Anyway, where is Weiss? Haven't seen her today?" Asked Jaune looking over cafeteria.

"She said she had some 'family business' to attend to, and went to Vale as soon as she woke up." Answered Blake form over her book.

"Family business? Is it something serious?" Asked Pyrrha.

"I don't know. She received a call yesterday evening. Apparently her father wanted to talk with her. She didn't look too nervous though, so I don't think it's anything bad."

 _Jacques decided to call? Why do I have the feeling it's not to ask how his daughter is doing…_ Jaune thought with scowl. Yang noticed it and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong Ladykiller? Sad your Ice Princess is not here?"

"No. Just feel sorry for her that she has to deal with her father first thing Saturday morning."

"Why? Do they not get along?" Asked Ruby.

"Yeah, kind of. Mostly because her old man is an asshole, and that is putting it lightly."

"Wow. You really don't like him, huh? Is there some story behind that?" Yang asked, shaking her head.

"Yeah, kinda. But since it involves Weiss' family, it's not really my tale to tell."

"Really? Well that's a shame." Said Yang, letting the subject go. Instead, she looked over to the two empty seats next to Jaune - where Nora and Ren usually sat.

"So, if we're talking about missing people. Where did our love birds go?"

"Nora wanted to go to Vale to buy a few things. Ren tagged along."

Yang snorted.

"I guess he didn't have too much say in the matter?"

"No, he didn't."

They finished their breakfasts and left cafeteria chatting on the way. This was interrupted when Jaune's scroll started ringing. He opened it up and smiled when he saw who was calling.

"Sorry guys, have to take this." He said accepting call.

"Hey, Mei… Nah, it was fine…. Yes… Yes, of course… Mei, please… Ok. sure… Really?! That's great…. Next Saturday? Sure I'll be there…. I love you too… Bye." He ended the call and pocketed his scroll.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders. He looked to the side at a grinning Yang.

"Well, well, well. Care to tell us who this Mei is? And why you set a date with her, instead of any of the four beautiful Huntresses right next to you?"

Jaune shot her a deadpan glare.

"She is my grandmother. Called to say that my parents and sisters are going to visit her next weekend."

Yang tsked and let him go.

"You are no fun. No fun at all."

Jaune just shrugged.

"Sure, whatever you say. Anyway, I'm going to Vale, need to buy few things. Wanna tag along?"

Yang raised eyebrow.

"Haven't you been out earlier this week?"

"Yeah, but it was interrupted. Had to run from Pyrrha's crazy fans."

Yang laughed at that.

"Oh, I heard about that. Or rather saw." She turn and nudged the red haired champion in the arm.

"You know, P-money, they call me troublemaker, but I never caused a riot just by going out in the city." she said, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't call it a riot… there were just a few people, running around Vale, trying to find us. Nothing big." Jaune said shrugging.

Blake looked up from over her book.

"Jaune… It was all over evening news. There were like, three hundred people there…"

"Pfft, yeah right. News channels always blow things out of proportion. Someone will see a lone Beowolf, and they call it an invasion and end of the known civilization."

"We kinda saw footage…. There really were a lot of people there..." Ruby interjected.

Jaune opened his mouth to respond, paused for a moment, then just shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Not that any of it matters."

They paused when they reached the intersection of corridors.

"So I'll ask again. Any of you want to go with me to Vale?"

Yang looked like she might agree, but then just shook her head.

"Well, I would love to, but I think we will hit library first." She wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "We still have some homework to do, better to have it done as fast as possible before Weiss starts nagging."

Ruby whimpered, but didn't protest when her sister started to drag her away.

"What about you two?" Jaune asked, turning towards the last two girls.

"I think I'll join Ruby and Yang. It's better if I don't show up in Value for a few days."

Jaune just nodded. As much as he hated to admit it - his partner was right. Her showing up in Vale now was bound to cause uproar. There was even a few instances of people trying to sneak their way into Beacon.

"I think I'll just use this chance to read in peace. Our room is usually too noisy for that." Said Blake when Jaune turned to her. He smiled and shook his head.

"Well, be glad you are not on the same team as Nora. She brings 'energetic' to whole new level."

The black haired girl smirked.

"I know. And I'm happy I don't have to share a room with her."

Jaune smiled and started walking towards Beacon's airport. He briefly considered postponing his 'supply run' and joining Pyrrha in library, but decided against it. It was almost time for him to make a new batch of Elixirs, and he would like to start experimenting soon too.

 _Ok Vale, here I come. Let's hope nothing too crazy happens this time._

* * *

Jaune was walking down familiar street, a decently sized bag in his hand.

 _I have most of things I need. Only thing left is to grab some herbs._

He paused when he noticed one particular shop. He always passed by this one, since it didn't sell anything he would need. Or that was what he thought. After his last training session with his team, he realized how different fighting people who have both Aura and training is than fighting Grimm or bandits. So maybe an addition to his arsenal would be welcome.

 _Might as well take a look. Maybe I'll find something for myself._

With a shrug he entered the weapon shop. There were tons of different tools of destruction hanging from the walls - form simple knives and swords to complicated mecha-shifting weapons.

 _Now, what would I need? Probably something small, with a big mag so I can just keep shooting and keep whoever I'm fighting distracted when I close the distance._

He passed several stalls with larger guns, some of them kind of reminding him of Milo in its gun form

 _I believe this is called a hunting rifle?_

He thought, picking one up. He looked it over, then put it back.

 _No point in wasting time looking over something I won't use anyway._

He walked further into shop, and finally found what he was looking for - the handguns section. There were quite a few there to choose from. Jaune looked them over, picked a few that caught his eye to take closer look, but put them all away.

 _This is pointless. I know nothing about guns, wouldn't be able to tell a good one from a bad one even if my life depended on it._

He briefly considered asking the clerk for advice, but discarded the idea. There was good chance he would try to sell him anything, just to earn some cash. Of course he might turn out to be professional, and give him good advice, but Jaune preferred to not take any chances. Afterall, it was not like he didn't have anyone he could ask for help.

 _Well, no one said I have to pick a gun. Maybe something like throwing knifes would be a good idea?_

He shook his head. Later he would ask for help from someone who knew more about firearms than himself. Which shouldn't be hard. Not only was his own knowledge basic at best, he was now surrounded by people who used them on a daily basis.

He left the store and headed to the last shop he intended to visit. As soon as he passed the door, the familiar scent of herbs hit his nose. Jaune took a deep breath, smiling. Something about this smell made him relax.

He wandered around the shop for a few moments, before pausing, when he caught sight of familiar faces.

 _What are they doing here?_

He thought, making his way towards the two people at counter.

"Hi guys. Fancy meeting you here."

Ren and Nora turned around, both smiling when they saw him.

"Hello Jaune." The black haired boy nodded to him.

Blond boy looked at many different packs lying on counter.

"That's all yours?" he asked taking closer look.

"Yes." Ren answered with a nod. "I used to dabble in herbalism myself, and after hearing you talk about your Elixirs I thought I might try to return to it."

"Oh, really?" Jaune considered his teammate for a moment. "You know, I'm going to make some bases for my Elixirs, and I was thinking about starting to experiment with new ones. Want to help me out?"

Ren looked uncertain.

"I'm not sure if that is a good idea. The most complicated things I ever made were some simple medicines, or herbal teas. Nothing nearly as complicated as your Elixirs."

Jaune just shook his head.

"It's fine. I started with medicines too, and Elixirs are not that different. It's just matter of the right mix of herbs and dust. Worst case scenario you could give me a second opinion."

After a moment of consideration, Ren nodded.

"If you say so. I must say I'm quite intrigued to learn how you make them."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Ok, give me a moment to grab what I need." He paused for a moment and looked around. It was rather small shop, with them being only customers.

Jaune could feel his growing anxiety.

"Ren…" The black haired boy finished packing what he bought and looked at him. "Where is Nora? She was there just a moment before and…"

Ren was already gone, door slamming shut behind him.

Jaune considered his options for a moment. Then quickly grabbed what he needed, paid and followed his teammate.

He had a feeling that leaving Nora unsupervised was not a good idea.

* * *

They found her only ten or so minutes later, in nearby park. She was surrounded by several very excited children. Nora didn't seem to mind - quite the opposite. She was playing with them with big smile on her face.

Ren and Jaune, content to know no disaster would happen, sat at a nearby bench and relaxed.

"She seems to enjoy it." The blond Hunter said after few moments of silence.

His companion nodded, a found smile on his face.

"Nora was always good with children. Even way back when we were still living in sister's Martha orphanage, she was always taking care of younger kids."

Jaune just hummed.

"We should probably get moving soon." Ren said after around ten minutes. "Our spar with team RWBY will be starting soon, and Nora will not forgive us if we're late for that."

Jaune laughed.

"Oh I can imagine."

Prying Nora off the children proven to be far more difficult task than Jaune expected. Not least because she herself didn't want to go. But the prospect of free violence convinced her to come back to Beacon.

* * *

Pyrrha wasn't sure what to make out of what she was seeing. Her teammates returned from Vale just a few minutes ago and were now unpacking the supplies they brought.

Ren bough ammo, some Dust, and what looked to be packed herbs. The first two were normal things for Hunter's to buy. Herbs were unexpected, but judging by his and Jaune's talk, her teammate had some experience with herbalism. And apparently they planned to work on Jaune's Elixirs together.

She briefly considered offering her assistance too, but discarded the idea. The closest she ever had come to working with herbal products were one or two commercials she took part in. Pyrrha somehow doubts this was enough to help with making something as complicated as Jaune's Elixirs.

Speaking of which - her partners shopping list included far more items than Ren's - and it was that what made Pyrrha confused - and curious.

Dust and herbs were expected. The hammer and bag of nails less so, but she supposed they could come handy if something needs fixing.

What was unexpected was a sewing kit, and roll of blue material. That was not something a Hunter would usually buy.

She briefly considered asking him - but Nora beat her to it.

"Oh, what is this for? Are you going to sew something? What's it gonna be?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder.

Jaune, who was currently scribbling something in his notepad, paused and looked up at his ginger teammate.

"Yeah, a dress."

There were a few moments of stunned silence. Then Nora grinned.

"Ooooooooh! For whom? Your girlfriend?"

Pyrrha did _not_ tense up at the question.

"Nah." Jaune laughed. "It's for my sister. I couldn't make it home for her birthday, and I promised that if I missed it, she can ask for whatever she wants an apology. She wanted a dress, so she will get a dress."

Pyrrha relaxed, and found a smile on her lips. They had known each other for only about a week, but it was clear to everyone in team JNPR that they leader had soft spot for his family.

"So you gonna learn how to sew, just because your sister asked for a dress? That is very nice of you Jaune." She praised.

Her partner laughed again.

"Nah, I actually know how to sew. Made my fair share of dresses too - everyone of my sisters, and even my mother has at least one made by me."

There was another stunned silence. Then Pyrrha made a decision.

 _Yang can NEVER learn about this._

Jaune continued to scribble something in his notepad, and rest of them went about their own business. About thirty minutes later, Ren called out to them.

"I think it's time for us to get going. We don't want to keep team RWBY waiting, do we?"

They all nodded and left the room.

* * *

"Go Yang! You can do it." Ruby cheered.

Yang smirked and threw a few more punches. Most of them impacted shield, but two hit the boy holding it. Not that it did much.

She jumped back a few steps and fired a few shots at her opponent. He jumped back, then to the side, avoiding the few that went low, and took rest on his shield. Jaune Arc didn't appear too bothered by the assault - just like everything she threw up till now.

A quick glance to display screen revealed that yes, she took out some of his Aura - almost fifty percent, while she had lost only thirty-five.

This would sound good, if not for the fact they fought for _five-fucking-minutes_ already _._

Just thinking about it made her eyes flash red, but she forced herself to say calm. Yang was used to quick matches, that were blur of movement. Constant dashes in and out, throwing attack after attack, and hoping to overpower your enemy before he overpowered you. Contest of speed and strength - that was how she fought, how just about everyone she knew fought.

But not Jaune Arc - he prefered to defend, to wait until his opponent made a mistake, or tired out. She had faced a few defensive fighters, and was always able to break through their guard with her relentless assault, but the blond boy in front of her had three advantages over everyone she fought up till now: a giant Aura pool, some super high-tech armor, and a shield.

 _Fuck that shield._

She fired a few more shots - but most of them impacted on the offending piece of metal. The few that hit his exposed legs did next to no damage.

 _And fuck that armor too. I wish Ruby would have said something about it's weak points instead of just gushing about how cool it is._

She sighed and dashed back into the melee. She threw two quick jabs that he blocked, and the followed with low kick. His leg buckled under him, and it looked like he might fall.

Yang instantly jumped back.

 _Oh no Lady Killer, I'm not falling for that again._

The first thing she learned about her opponent - other than his shield was not just for show - was that he was a counter fighter. As soon as the fight started she opened with a few shots to test him - her usual tactic. Jaune easily blocked them and started walking towards her. Not running, not jumping, just steadily walking.

She engaged in melee hoping she would be able to overpower him. Unfortunately, most of her hits were blocked, the few that went past his defense were stopped by his armor. And then, when she though she and him off balance and vulnerable, it turned out he is just baiting her.

She winced. Stab to stomach followed by shield bash to the face didn't do much in terms of damage - but it seriously hurt her pride.

With a tired sigh, she charged in again, threw three quick punches and taking one quick slash. She kicked the bottom of his shield, and it moved it out of way for just a moment. She quickly capitalized by striking toward Jaune's face.

She took slash to the side for that - but that was ok.

 _Just a bit more…_ she thought, jumping back.

Yang took a few deep breaths and eyed her opponent. His strikes weren't too strong - and paradoxically this worked in his favor. Weaker strikes meant her Semblance charged slower.

She glanced at the display. Both of them lost two percent of Aura in the last exchange. This meant she would win if she kept this up. The problem was she wasn't sure she could. She was beginning to feel tired. Jaune didn't look nearly as winded as she - but maybe he was just hiding it.

 _This is taking too long. I need to make him do something reckless._

She already tried to provoke him, throwing verbal jabs alongside physical ones, but Jaune ignored them all.

 _Let's try something different._

Yang backed few more steps and struck provocative pose, one finger on her lips that stretched in smile that she knew would make any boy start to fantasize.

"Come on Lady Killer. Don't you want to get close to me?" She said with sultry voice, trailing a finger down from her lips towards her cleavage.

Jaune didn't react in the slightest. He just continued to walk towards her at the same steady peace.

Yang scoffed and got into her own stance. This was another thing she learned quite fast - Jaune was totally different in the arena than he was normally. Gone was the awkward, slightly dorky teenager that was an oh so easy target to tease. Steady and focused - those were the words she would use to describe him. He didn't react to her taunts, he didn't took any of her baits, and his strikes, even though not strong or fast, usually hit the mark. And when she created some distance he would just walk towards her neither slow, nor fast. Steady.

She found this a little creepy.

With little else to do, Yang charged again, threw few punches and kicks and retreated. Most of her attacks were blocked but like usual one or two slipped by Jaune's defenses. She earned two hits this time, but they were glancing blows. After a moment to catch her breath she dashed in agin.

Two punches towards his head were easily blocked, but by raising his hield Jaune left his lower body vulnerable, She quickly took advantage of it by throwing middle kic. It connected - but didn't do as much damage as he hoped.

 _Fuck this armor._

She sidestepped his thrust, and scores first clean hit on his head in a while. Jaune recoiled, but managed to raise his shield in time to block follow up attack.

 _Fuck this shield_

She saw incoming counter - horizontal slash towards her ribs, but ignored it. Like every hit before it lacked power to be too threatening, and it left him temporarily open. She quickly took advantage of it, scoring clear hit on his shoulder, and then throwing low kick. It staggered him only a little, and he retaliated with shield bash.

It didn't hurt much, but staggered her, and left open for follow up slash that hit her shoulder. She winced and threw left hook. He took it on his shield, and retaliated with another stab. She ignored it, and instead threw punch at his midriff.

Jaune tried to counter with another shield bash, but she stepped back out of range. Then she jumped even further back, and eyed her opponent.

For quite some time she had this feeling that there was something wrong, and now she was sure. With how open she left herself in the last exchange, Jaune should be able to do some good damage to her, but that was not the case. Sure, she got hit more than usual, but he didn't took advantage of all openings.

 _It's almost as if he is baiting me into something._

Her eyes narrowed. What were his semblance again? She could recall Nora talking about it, but all she got from it was that he could manipulate his Aura easier. It didn't exactly told her much. On the other hand he knew how her worked - courtesy of Ruby. She wasn't bothered by it too much. After all her Semblance was fairly simple - even if her opponent knew how it worked, there was little he could do to stop her from activating it, beside not hitting her. Or taking her down before she had chance to use it. This never happened so far - but it was possibility.

 _His attacks are far too weak for Hunter. He wouldn't be able to deal any serious damage to any Grimm with hits like that, and Pyrrha said he could early cleave through Bewolfs during initiation. So he holds back on purpose. But why?_

She considered it for a moment - and answer wasn't really hard to figure out.

 _Since he knows how my Semblance works, and he is not very mobile, he probably wants to prevent me from activating it. So he don't strike at full power to make himself look like less of a threat and make me careless. He probably wanted to bring me low enough to take out all of my remaining aura in one quick exchange_

She grinned.

 _Not bad plan Ladykiller. Not bad at all._

Yang glanced towards display screen and her grin only widened. She was around fifty, Jaune was hovering near forty. She was still winning, but gab was slowly closing.

Her grin only widened.

 _Ok, it should be enough. Lets see if you can handle my all, Ladykiller._

She looked at her - he noticed her grin, and stopped hsi advance, instead taking low stance and eyeing her early.

"Well, what I can say Ladykiller. You lasted far longer than any boy I played with." She rolled her head and shoulders. Jaune raised his shield, staying alert.

"But I think it's time we end this. There are other people waiting for their turn you know."

She grinned, her eyes flashing red.

"So now," she pointed finger at him. "You are,'" she took her stance and clenched her fist, "Going." Her Semblance activated, washing arena in golden flames. She could hear Ruby, and to her surprise Nora, cheering loudly. Her grin almost split her face in two.

"DOWN!" She roared and charged at other blond.

First strike hit the shield, but the force of the blow was too much and it was knocked aside.

Jaune tried to retaliate, but she caught his sword by the blade, cocked back her right hand back and smirked.

To her surprise Jaune closed his eyes - and smirked too.

Most civilians thought that Aura was some kind of solid forcefield that blocked all incoming attacks. This was not true - not only did it require some amount of control to use effectively, it also didn't block attacks, only dispersed the force of the blows. That's why Aura users still felt pain when hit, and still would get blown away when hit by a strong attack. So, unlike what many movies and novels said, punching Hunter don't feel like hitting a brick wall.

But Yang certainly felt like she just punched one when her fist hit something that should be, but definitely wasn't, Jaune Arc's face. Pain raced through her hand, making her stagger back, and flash of bright white light that blinded her didn't help at all.

 _That sonuvabitch!_

Soon though, that was the least of her worries. Something, that she was fairly certain was Jaune's shield, slammed into her stomach, but with far more force than she expected. Another blow soon followed, and it too was much stronger than any she received before. She tried to regain her balance, but Jaune wouldn't let her.

She eventually managed to put some distance between them by firing from both of her gauntlets. She spared a quick glance at display screen. They were both at around thirty seven percent.

 _This bastard, he WANTED me to use my Semblance!_

She looked at her opponent - he was grinning at her - a vicious, _feral_ smile that brought to mind a predator baring its teeth at it's prey.

Yang mirrored his grin.

They both dashed forward, meeting in a flurry of blows. It was by far most intense exchange in their whole match, but it lasted only a few seconds.

"Stop! Jaune Arc wins!" Ren exclaimed.

Both combatants stopped and looked at display. Yang dropped barely below thirty percent, while Jaune was around thirty three.

"Good fight." Said the blond hunter, extending his hand.

Yang smiled and took it.

"Yeah. You won this one, but next time you are going down Ladykiller."

Jaune laughed.

"If you say so."

They returned to the stands. Ruby was already waiting for them.

 _Oh good, sweet Ruby, ready to cheer her sister up._ Thought Yang, watching as the little red huntress rushed towards them. She spread her arms, ready for an incoming hug.

"Hey Rub…" was all she managed to say before red blur moved past her and stopped in front of the blond knight.

"That was SO. AWESOME! No one ever was able to take hit from Yang like that! And what was the white light? It was your Semblance, right? Right?!"

Yang looked at her sweet, lovely sister, jumping excitedly around the guy who just beat her up.

 _Life is so unfair._ She though with a pout.

 _Then again, Rubes makes good point. What the hell did he do at the end?_

"I would like to know too, Jaune. You haven't used anything like that when we were sparring." Said Pyrrha.

"You didn't hold back, did you?" She asked with hint of hurt in her voice.

Jaune laughed nervously.

"No, nothing like that. It's just little trick with my Semblance I discovered some time ago. I can harden my Aura to make it more solid. Sort of like a wall. But I can't control it too well - it last only a moment, and I need to focus for a few seconds to make it. So it works only when I know when and where attack will come."

"And the white light?" Asked Blake.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I think it might be my Aura flashing out, since there is a lot of it concentrated in one spot. But I don't know for sure."

"Sooooooo… You want to tell me that you not only have lots of stamina and a big… Aura pool, but your Semblance can make you extra hard?" Yang asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

Jaune blushed slightly when something very soft pressed against his back.

"Y-yeah." He stammered.

Yang grinned, then leaned closer.

"Well, Ladykiller, I think we should get to know each other more…" she purred into his ear.

Jaune stiffened, and blushed eve harder.

"Y-Yang stop that."

The blond brawler grinned.

"You sure you want me to stop, Jaune?" She asked, but let him go. Better to not push her luck - Pyrrha was already glaring at her.

"Don't worry Dork-knight, I'm just messing with you. Beside…" she winked at red haired champion. " I think there is someone who wants a piece of you more than me."

To her delight, Pyrrha blushed and looked to the side.

 _Bingo. Oh, I'm going to have fun with these two dorks._

"Ok, last fight - Weiss vs Nora. Get ready ladies." Jaune called out, a little louder than necessary.

* * *

"Don't worry Weiss, I won't break your legs… too much." Said Nora, grinning at her opponent.

"Well, thank you Nora. I'll be sure to find you a nice spot after I turn you into ice sculpture" The heiress answered with a smirk.

"You both ready?" Shouted Jaune

They nodded.

"Then begin!"

Both girls dashed at the same time. Nora forward, Magnhild ready for strike.

Weiss backward, erecting several walls of ice in the way of the ginger berserker.

Nora jumped over the first, then the second, and then ran through the third. Weiss shot several ice blades at her - but they were easily swated aside. Nora charged again, swinging Magnhild in a wide arc.

Weiss created a glyph and jumped back. Nora followed after her, swinging her hammer. It was easy to dodge, but at the same time, forced the heiress to focus on this - she simply didn't have time to stop and use her Semblance, lest she will be hit the massive weapon. She eventually managed to create some distance and created another glyph. Nora took a wide swing and smashed into it - and was blown away.

Weiss didn't waste a second and sent a barrage of Dust attacks at the downed girl. Nora rolled away and got to her feet pretty quickly - but still got hit by quite a few. The heiress kept up her assault, and the ginger girl could do little more than dodge. Eventually, she found cover behind one of Weiss' own ice walls.

The heiress winced, and dashed around, hoping to catch Nora from behind. But as soon as she moved past the wall, she threw herself in a frantic dodge, narrowly avoiding the pink explosion that erupted in the spot she was just second ago. Nora jumped on top of the ice wall that served her as a cover, and continued her barrage, laughing maniacally the whole time.

Eventually the ginger girl ran out of ammo. But instead of reloading, she switched Magnhild back to hammer form and jumped down.

Weiss got up from where the last explosion threw her, and dusted herself off.

Both girls stared at each other for a few moments.

Then they dashed forward, Nora opening with a horizontal swing of her hammer, that Weiss ducked under and countered with a stab on her own. It was blocked by the handle of Magnhild, and immediately followed with a downward swing, that the heiress had to roll out of the way of. The ginger girl followed, bringing her hammer down yet again, but Weiss managed to get back to her feet and jumped back few steps. She created a glyph under her feet, and the moment before Nora's hammer reached her, jumped high in the air.

Nora followed her, but let out a surprised yelp when she slammed into the glyph. Many more surrounded her soon after, and Weiss, using them as jumping pads, started to zip past Nora, slashing and stabbing at her each time she passed by.

The ginger girl could do little more than try to block as many attacks as she could. Eventually, the number of active glyphs started to dwindle - and so did the possible angles of attacks for heiress. This allowed Nora to better defend herself - and even throw counter attacks. She overshot her target, but even though the head of her hammer missed its mark, the handle hit the heiress hard enough to throw her to the ground. She landed soon after, and leaned on Magnhild for support, panting heavily.

Weiss was in no better state, kneeling on one knee, her breath ragged. After just a few moments both girls readied they weapons and started walking to each other. It was clear it would be last exchange - both of them were too exhausted to be able to fight for much longer.

They stopped about ten meters from each other, eyeing each other carefully. Then, on some unspoken command, both dashed forward.

Weiss ducked under horizontal sweep of Magnhild, and Nora used the haft of her weapon to knock Myrtenaster aside. Heiress sidestepped the follow up thrust, and answered with one of her own. Nora managed to dodge it, and responded with an upward swing. Weiss jumped back at the last second. She tried to go back inside the ginger girl's guard - but had to retreat from another wide swing.

Weiss jumped back, when Nora brought her hammer down on her, and then again when ginger girl tried to tackle her. She ducked under the next swipe, and countered with a thrust towards her opponent leg. It hit its mark, and Nora staggered a little. The heiress quickly took advantage of this opening, throwing two more thrust. Both hit their mark - but left her open for a counter.

Nora drove the back end of Magnhild handle into the heiress stomach, knocking the air out of her. Her muscle tensed, ready to follow with an overhead smash.

Weiss knew she couldn't' dodge in time. So instead, she threw herself forward, throwing one last, desperate attack.

"Stop! The match is over, Weiss Schnee wins!" Jaune declared.

Both girls froze. Weiss was kneeling on one knee, one hand on the ground supporting her, and other outstretched, pressing Magnhild into her opponent torso.

Nora, with hammer stopped mid-swing.

They looked at each other, then at Jaune, and then at display screen.

Indeed, Nora dropped below thirty, while Weiss was still around forty.

Both girls looked at each other again, and after a second collapsed on the floor.

"Daaaaaaaaamn I'm spent. I'll need like a hundred pancakes after this. And I didn't even get to break any legs. Life is so unfair, right Weiss? " Nora whined.

The heiress felt like pointing out it was her legs they were talking about - but decided against it. Arguing with Nora was about as productive as trying to negotiate with Grimm.

"And that concludes the first JNPR vs RWBy tournament. " Announced Jaune when both girls joined the teams.

"With two wins and two losses for each team, we have draw."

"Only because you have Pyrrha." Ruby said with a pout.

"You are just mad because you lost in thirty seconds." Jaune retorted.

"Hey, that was lucky shot! And beside, first fight should be leader vs leader! You cheated!"

"Everything is fair in war and love."

"I would have won if it was you." Ruby mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Probably." Jaune admitted, "but then Pyrrha would just kick Yang butt, and we would still have draw."

Yang felt like arguing, but let it go. She knew she was good, and was confident she could take on just about anyone they age. Problem was that Pyrrha wasn't anyone.

Ruby huffed.

"Well, at least we have better ninja than you. Blake _destroyed_ Ren."

Black haired girl smiled and shook her head. Her fight against green clad boy was much closer than her leader made it sound - and she won so decisively only because of her Semblance. She had a feeling they next fight will not be as easy.

Jaune just shook his head and checked his scroll nodding to himself.

"We still have half an hour from our reserved time, So I guess we can do some more training. Any suggestion?"

"I think we could work on your offensive some more Jaune. You did well against Yang, but I noticed few things you could improve."

The blond leader nodded at his partner's words.

"I guess you are right Pyrrha."

He picked his weapons and started to walk towards the arena, both teams in tow.

Yang leaned towards red-haired champion and wisphered with smirk

"You just want to see for yourself how hard he can get, don't you?"

Pyrrha instantly blushed and satter denying.

Yang's grin only grew

 _Oh, she is so easy..._

* * *

Blake took few gulps of energy drink and relaxed on the bench. She just finished sparring with her partner, and now both of them were sitting together, watching the other pairs train. Or rather pair - Jaune and Pyrrha were only ones still going.

"You know, I'm surprised they still have energy to go on." She said.

Yang hummed in agreement.

"Yeah. I can kinda understand Pyrrha - she isn't moving too much. But Jaune? From what I saw he is not used to running around like that."

Blake nodded and focused back on the fighting pair. Well, it could hardly be called a fight - Pyrrha was just standing in one place and defending, and Jaune was charging at her. The whole point of their little exercise was to make blond knight get used to a more mobile fighting style.

She watched as Jaune charged, then rolled under Pyrrha's strike, and used the momentum to get up and strike at his partner back. Of course, the red haired champion blocked his attack with ease, but Blake was still impressed. Jaune was far more agile than she would expect from someone wearing so much armor. Of course he was nowhere near her level, or even Yang's or Nora's, but still pretty good.

The blond knight continued his charges, and Pyrrha continued to defend, shouting instructions and encouragements.

"Good, Jaune, but you have to do it harder!"

"You sure? I don't want to hurt you…"

"I can take it. Just give me everything you got."

"Pyrrha I'm at my limit…"

"Just a little more Jaune! Keep it up."

Blake shook her head and turned to her partner.

"Do you think they know that what they are saying can be taken wildly out of context?"

The blonde girl hummed

"I don't think so. They are too adorkable."

A few moments passed, with the only sound being clang of weapons, and fighting pair shouts.

"You are still going to tease them to high havens about this, aren't you?" Blake finally asked.

Yang grinned at her.

"And why do you think I'm recording this sound-only?"

Blake snorted and shook her head. What was she even thinking - Yang passing on opportunity to mess with someone? No way.

Soon after the pair ended their spar. Yang, not wasting a second, walked to Pyrrha and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Moments later the champion's face turned the same shade as her hair.

Blake smiled. It was all so… normal. People sparing, laughing, and just spending time together. It was so different than White Fang, where everyone was constantly on edge.

It was only a week since she started her education at Beacon, but she already had group of friends in the form of her team, and - dare she say it - team JNPR. And if someone would have told her just a week before that she would call the heiress to the SDC a friend - she would probably punch said person for making fun of her.

Someone called her name and she looked up to see Ruby waving to her. WIth a smile, she got up and walked towards both teams. Her eyes flicked towards Jaune, but she just shrugged and focused on her leader, talking excitedly about something.

She decided to give up on investigating Jaune. What his connection to Headmaster Ozpin was she still didn't know - but decided that at the end of the day it didn't matter. Maybe his parents were the Headmaster's friends, maybe he was some distant family. Or maybe someone pulled some strings to get Jaune into Beacon in less than legitimate means. It could be either of these, or hundreds others - and either way it was none of her business.

She smiled to herself as both teams left the training room, and headed towards the cafeteria, everyone talking with each other. Blake quipped from time to time too. It was nice, just hanging out with friends like that. She would not let her paranoia get in the way. After all, even if Jaune has some secrets, it couldn't be anything more serious than hers, right?

* * *

 **And here we go. Two fight scenes, and I must say Weiss vs Nora was much easier to write than Yang vs Jaune. I went over it multiple times, and even then first iteration was crap. Eventually, after talking about it a bit with JJD I rewrote it to current version. I think it works pretty well. I tried to portray Jaune as defensive fighter, who would prefer to wait for his opponent to come to him, rather than chase them around. I based this on my personal experience from my days in HEMA - I usually wore a lot of armor, with big shield on top of that. Setup like that gives a lot of protection, but didn't encouraged running around.**

 **At first this fight was from Jaune's POV but then I decided to switch it around, to give some insight on Yang's mindset. Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out at the end.**

 **Oh, and Blake lets go of her suspicions towards Jaune. You guys can stop hating on her now.**

 **JJD: Like most things we write together, we debated these fights endlessly haha. I feel like Cr00cy and I have enough content for a talk show about fighting at this point. As always, I think it came out better in the end for the debate (I know that FM and FS scenes are).**

 **Also, people will never stop hating on Blake man, it's just part of the character at this point.**

 **Cr00cy: Yep. It happens often -we discuss some scene one moment, next we have hour or so discussion about fighting. This is actually very interesting experience for me since up till now I take only with people with similar (swords or other melee weapons) or no knowledge. JJD is practicing hand-to-hand, so while we both know basic things about fighting, details are different. In these chapters we argued quite a bit about how Jaune vs Yang should go - JJD suggested he should chase Yang around, to hopefully pin her down, and take away her range advantage. I thought it would be better for him to not waste stamina chasing faster opponent, and just tank her shots until she runs out of ammo. In the end, I settle for something in the middle -and like I said, I think it turned out much better.**

 **Anyway, here is this week's omake:**

* * *

 **Letter to Friend**

Jaune rolled his shoulders, trying to get rid of the stiffness. Writing a letter was surprisingly hard . Not because he didn't have anything to write about, but because there was just so much that had happened during the month he was traveling with Leon.

He looked out of the only window in the room he and Leon were sharing. It was dark outside, the only thing he could really see were the stars and moon. The inn they were staying at was located in small village. Well, calling it village was generous. It was just a few houses and a small dock - a lumberjacks colony. It wasn't even a permanent settlement.

Jaune sighed and focused back on the piece of paper in front of him. After some brief consideration, he decided to just start writing about anything that came to mind.

" _Hi Samantha,_

 _Sorry I haven't kept in touch, but I've been very busy this last month. And tired. Other things too, but mostly tired. Leon started training me as soon as we left Silver Lake. Well maybe 'training' is a bit too much. He said I needed to work on my cardio, so I've mostly been running around. I asked him once when my cardio would be good enough. He joked that when I'm able to cover 40 km, fight for hour, and then cover another 40 km within 24 hours, carrying full equipment._

 _At least I hope he was joking._

 _Anyway, we practiced fighting a bit. I still don't have my Aura unlocked - Leon said it's better if I learn basic fighting without it. But he assured me that I will have it unlocked before we go into the Wilds._

 _The fact that he said 'you will have it unlocked' and not 'I will unlock it' has me a little worried. Also, this part about it happening 'before we go into Wilds', not 'before I'll have you fight Grimm.'_

 _I've learned to pay really close attention both to what he says, and how he says it._

 _Well, there is not much more to say. Or rather - there is a lot to say. But it mostly comes down to Leon teaching me things that I thought I knew. Fun Fact: Turns out spinning to make an attack stronger is not a good idea._

 _Anyway, we are currently staying in some temporary lumberjack camp south of Vale. But we will be moving out soon - not sure where. When I asked, Leon said "wherever we are needed." Kinda cool, but not very helpful. But we should move closer to Vale soon, so I might be able to call._

 _Well see you later,_

 _Jaune._

 _PS. One thing that surprised me - but maybe shouldn't - was Leon's cooking. I'll tell you - he would give my Dad a run for his money."_

Jaune put away his pen and looked over the letter. Deciding it was good enough, he put it in the envelope and went to bed. Tomorrow he would give it to captain of barg taking wood from the camp to Vale. From there it should reach Sam somehow.

* * *

 **So here it is - Jaune set on his journey, and this is his first letter to Sam. What will Leon do to turn bumbling mess that is 13 year old Jaune into professional Hunter? What will Sam do to get the attention of her dorky knight? Will Jaune survive this with his body and mind intact? Who knows.**

 **JJD: See, some of you still think this is a story about Jaune. This is CLEARLY a fic based on Sam. Hopefully Cr00cy will let me focus on the true main character some more next week.**


	13. Monsters Among Us

**Welcome to ch 12 of TPA. Edited, and spell-checked by JJD.**

* * *

Ruby sat at her usual place and looked around. The cafeteria was full of people, like usual, but it it was somehow less noisy than usual - even for a Saturday morning. There was tension in the air - nothing too serious, but one could feel it.

"You hear? They found another victim yesterday."

"Really? When?"

"Late last night, somewhere in harbor."

"That's terrible. That makes eight in total, right?"

"Yeah. What the hell are the police doing?"

Ruby winced. Conversations like that could be heard all over the place, and for good reason. The Vale Murder Spree, how media had chosen to dub them, had started last Monday. Everyday since then, a corpse of a young girl was found somewhere in Vale. So far, the police had made little progress in finding preparator. There were no witnesses, the victims seemed completely unrelated, and the bodies were found in seemingly random locations.

So it shouldn't come up as surprise that people were on edge. She looked over her team. Weiss was just staring at the inside her tea cup. Blake didn't have book with her, and wasn't that a weird sight, instead she was looking something up on her scroll. Ruby was sure it was reports related to the murders.

Even Yang seemed lost in thought, not even trying to tease anyone. One look at team JNPR confirmed they were no better.

Pyrrha tried to lift the mood by starting a conversation, but it soon died out. Ren was even quieter than usual, just poking his food with fork. Even Nora was quiet, which Ruby honestly though was a bit scary. And Jaune…

She paused and blinked a few times, only now noticing lack of certain blond Hunter.

"Guys, where is Jaune?" She asked aloud.

Pyrrha looked up her from her breakfast with slight frown.

"We're not sure. He went to Vale yesterday because he took some contract from the Company. When I woke up this morning, he was not in the room. But I got a message from him on my scroll saying that he got held up, and he will be back later than usual."

Yang perked up at that.

"Again? He was out Monday, and Wednesday too, right?"

"Actually, he was out everyday. Apparently it was supposed to be a short job, but is dragging on..." said Ren.

Blake looked up form her scroll.

"What job? And why he would go everyday if it left him so exhausted He even fell asleep in class a few times."

"Apparently someone he used to work with in the past contacted him. They needed some help on short notice, and not many people were available. Jaune accepted because he was running out of money."

"And when we asked him why he needed money so suddenly, he just said, 'three days, and seven sisters,'" added Nora.

Yang snorted.

"Yep, I think that explain a lot. How's his family anyway? Everything alright?"

"I think so. They left Vale earlier than they initially wanted, but apparently plan on visiting again sometime soon."

'When the murders stop' went unsaid.

Ruby recalled the previous week and smiled at the memory. Jaune was very excited about meeting with his parents and sisters. He would often drag one - or all - of his female friends to Vale to help him pick gifts, or ask their opinion on the one he already had planned. There were even some secret there - something team JNPR refused to talk about. Of course this made Yang all the more eager to learn what it was.

Jaune spent the whole weekend with them - to the not too well hidden disappointment of Pyrrha. Of course that prompted even more teasing form Yang. Ruby shook her head. Poor girl would probably have died from embarrassment, if not for Nora who was valiantly discracting Yang with constant sparrings.

She recalled how happy Jaune seemed next Monday. But this happiness turned into concern when he received a text message from his grandmother, and then into a full panic when the news of finding the first victim hit. It took the combined effort from both teams to stop him from rushing into Vale then and there. As it turned out, a few of his sisters went into the city alone, and his parents had trouble locating them. Fortunately, about an hour later, they were found.

Ever since then, Jaune seemed on edge - even when his family left Vale.

Ruby sighed, and looked around - just in time to see the blond haired boy heading their direction. She waved with a smile.

Jaune nodded and sat heavily in front of her, his food tray clanging on the table.

A choir of greetings sounded, and he greeted back. Ruby winced when she took a closer look at her friend. He looked like he would fall asleep at any moment, and only stayed awake by sheer force of will.

"Are you ok, Jaune?" She asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Yeah, just a little tired."

"That doesn't look like 'a little'. When did you get back anyway? You are usually back shortly after eleven, but this time I think we are all were asleep when you returned." Ren asked, eyeing his leader with noticeable concern.

Jaune just groaned.

"Yeah, I got held back. Some idiot wanted to show off, messed things up, and it fall onto me to clean it up. I think it was almost five before I was done. Then there was a lot of paperwork to fill out - I just returned.."

Pyrrha sighed, seemed to consider something, then looked her partner in the eyes.

"Jaune, this is too much, you need to stop. You are exhausted already, if this continues it will affect not only your grades, but health too."

The blond hunter just shook his head.

"Pyrrha, we talked about this already. I can't simply 'stop'. I took a contract, and I need to stick with it."

"But.."

"I'll be fine. This was supposed to be a one time thing, but since it's dragging out, they are looking to hire more people."

This seemed to calm Pyrrha down a little. She still stared at him for a few moments, but eventually let it go.

Yang looked between two of them for a moment, before focusing on the leader of team JNPR.

"Well, now that you and your wife are done, I think it's high time we take care of the real problem here." Both Jaune and Pyrrha choked on their food.

Yang grinned and rested her cheek on one hand, while tapping the fingers of the other on the table.

"Ladykiller, you were going out to Vale everyday for the past week. And you always return late. Very late. Long after curfew. You often come late for classes, even sleep in few, and yet you didn't get detention. Or were reprimanded. None of the teachers seem to notice, or care about your escapades."

She leaned closer and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Care to explain why?"

Jaune just shrugged.

"I'm a registered member of Company, and this is a Company approved job. I guess they simply contacted Beacon, and informed them I was hired. And since it's technically Hunter related, I guess someone from staff just signed it off as me doing self-study, or a special assignment, or something like that." He said, before returning to his breakfast.

His friends stared at him for few seconds. Then exchanged knowing looks, silently asking each other who would say it.

"Professor Port is just covering for you while you are out, isn't he?" Blake asked finally.

Jaune sputtered and choked on his food. After his coughing stopped, he looked at the black haired girl with a slight panic in his eyes.

"Wha… Ho.. I mean, I don't know what you're talking about." He said finally.

"Jaune… everyone knows you are his favorite student."

"What? Nonsense . Peter Port is a professional, he treats everyone equally."

"He took you on some special assignment, not a week after Beacon started." Said Weiss.

"Yeah, but…"

"You guys sometimes meet in the corridor and spend hours discussing some strange stuff." Offered Ruby.

"Hey, that's…"

"He often calls you out to 'discuss some important matter'. No one knows what, but there are rumors flying around". Blake added.

"Wha…"

"And you are still the only person who understands what he's talking about." Yang finished with smirk. It fell when she noticed Ren and Nora looking around nervously.

"Ren? Nora? What's wrong?" she asked, a little uncertain.

"Well…" Ren begin.

"I think, his last story was actually pretty good." Nora finished with a shy smile.

All of team RWBY recoiled.

"Wha - What the hell?!" Yang screamed, terror evident in her voice.

"You guys… what the hell happened to you." Blake asked, eyes wide.

Ruby recovered from the initial shock, and used her Semblance to reach Pyrrha. She grabbed the champion by the arm and pulled.

"Quickly Pyrrha, you have to run! Before you get infected too!" She cried out.

There were few moments of silence. Then all of them burst out laughing.

"But seriously, what's up with you and Port? You guys spend a lot of time together. I don't think I ever heard of a student going to visit his teacher just to hang out." Asked Yang after she calmed down.

Jaune considered this for a moment, then just shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I guess its because we have similar experiences. Port was learned the ropes in the Wilds too, not in school. This is the old way of training, almost completely forgotten nowadays. Most people will go to schools, since its safer, and more efficient."

"So what are you talking about when you meet?"

"Usually we just complain about how much of a mess the current Hunter training program is. Or talk about our hunting methods."

He seemed to consider something for a moment, then just shook his head.

"Anyway, I think I'll try to catch some sleep. I feel like I'm gonna collapse any moment."

"And you look like it too. I guess we won't keep you any longer." Said Ren with a nod.

Weiss made a show of wrinkling her nose

"Just don't forget to take a shower. You stink so much that I can smell it form over there."

Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mom. Anything else, or can I go?"

Weiss eyed him for a moment, stroking her chin. Jaune sighed.

"You aren't going to repeat your usual rant, are you? I heard it enough times when I was working for your father."

"Now that you mention it…" Weiss said with a smirk.

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"Well, if we going to repeat our old routines, I guess next you will…."

"Ok, you can go. Good night Jaune, I hope you have nice dreams!" The heiress exclaimed quickly, a slight panic evident in her voice.

Jaune just snorted and left. Weiss took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

 _Ok, stay calm Weiss. They don't know, and will never know. This was just some insignificant banter, surely no one…._

An arm wrapped around her shoulders and mop of blonde hair appeared in her vision.

"Weiss~" Yang sing-songed

 _Damn._

"Y-yes?"

"What was that about?"

 _Just stay calm, you've got this under control._

"I was just messing with Jaune. Nothing more."

 _There. Simple, easy answer. Surely she will…_

"Oh, I'm sure you were. But I'm more interested in what Jaune mentioned…"

 _Crap._

"I mean, you backed off rather quickly after he mentioned it. So, Weiss-cream, what did your 'usual routines' include?"

Weiss could feel her cheeks heating up.

 _Double crap._

"I-I.. I Have to go! I have an appointment that I absolutely can't miss!" She said, getting up in a hurry.

 _Smooth Weiss, really smooth._

"Oh?" Yang raised a single eyebrow. "And what appointment would that be?"

 _Triple crap._

"Well…"

"She promised to help me with something."

Everyone turned to look at the source of the new voice. Blake packed her book into her bag and stood up.

"I guess we will head to the library now?" She asked looking at the heiress.

Weiss nodded.

"Yes indeed. If you excuse us, we will be on our way." She said, following her new most favorite person in the whole word.

Yang was staring at her for a few more intense moments, then just shrugged.

"If you say so. I'm in a merciful mood today, so I shall pretend I believe that. Come Rubes, I think we still have some homework to do."

* * *

"Thank you."

Blake looked over her shoulder at the heiress.

"You're welcome." She said with a nod.

They continued walking in the silence, neither sure what to do.

 _Come on Blake, you can do better._

The black haired girl sighed. One of reasons she dragged the heiress out of the cafeteria - beside saving her from being Yanged to death - was to get to know her better. After the joined sparring session with team JNPR, she decided she should get to know her team better. Sure, they knew each other only for one week at that point, but Blake knew she was a rather antisocial person, so the sooner she starts, the better.

Ruby was easy enough. She was nice, friendly, innocent, and excitable. Honestly, it was hard to _not_ get along with her. Yang was similar - she was friendly enough on her own, and if someone was on good terms with her little sister, she would treat them as her own friends anyway.

That left Weiss. She was most distant from her teammates. Not really cold, or looking down on them, but rather reserved. Blake could see it in her behavior -sometime heiress would do, or say something, and then tense, as if wondering if what she did was not rude.

So it shouldn't come as big surprise that two of them didn't interact much. Blake was keeping mostly to herself, and was not afraid to let other people know when she prefered to be left alone - which was honestly most of the time. So even now, three weeks after Beacon started, they were still mostly strangers.

Blake decided that it was time to change it.

 _Ok, stay calm girl. You can do it. Just start the conversation, something easy._

"So what was that 'usual routine' Jaune mentioned?"

Weiss gasped, and Blake mentally facepalmed.

 _Great, just great. Ask her about the very thing you saved her from having to talk about._

"You don't have to say if it's too personal. I was just a bit curious."

She could hear Weiss letting out a breath of relief.

 _Ok, back to square zero. Now think about something that will not sound like you try to interrogate her._

"Thank you."

Blake turned around, surprised.

"For saving me from Yang. It's not that it's something bad, or very personal… Well I guess it is… Personal I mean, not bad…"

 _Weiss Schnee, miss perfect, is standing before me, blushing and babbling. Good thing I'm not jumping to conclusions as easily as Yang._

"You are welcome." Blake interrupted "What are friends for?"

 _Ok, making some assumptions here._

To her relief, the heiress just smiled.

"I guess. But still, thanks for save." She seemed to consider something for a moment before asking.

"Hey Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind me asking… where are we going?"

 _Well isn't that a great question?_

Before Blake could come up with an answer, the heiress continued.

"I don't mean to imply that I do not enjoy your company, but we've been wandering around for quite a while. I was just wondering, if there is something you wanted from me, or…" she trailed off.

Blake considered the answer for a moment, then decided to just go with the truth.

"To be honest, I just wanted to get to know you better. It was already three weeks since our team was formed, and we didn't had any chance to hang out."

Heiress looked surprised of all things. But soon after her lips stretched in small smile and she nodded.

"That sounds like great idea."

 _Huh, that was easier than I thought._

* * *

 _Well, this went better than expected._ Though Weiss, following her silent teammate.

After being saved from her inevitable death by teasing, she intended to thank her and then leave Blake to her own devices.

But then the thought struck her -she knew next to nothing about the black haired girl, despite living together for three weeks. Weiss knew she like to read, and preffered to keep to herself. And that was it. Blake seemed to be an intelligent, and very observant girl, that didn't hesitate to say what she thought, but at the same time, was much more tactful than Yang. Weiss would really like to call her friend.

 _Well, that would be strange. Have we even had a proper talk? I don't think so._

Considered all of this, Weiss decided to take advantage of her current situation. Now, that there were no noisy, overexcitable teammates nearby, they could maybe hang out a bit. And as the heiress considered the best way to breach the topic, Blake once again spared her potential embarrassment by admitting that she had similar thoughts.

So now two of them were sitting at a white table, surrounded by the greenery of the Beacon gardens. It was a nice, quiet place, that Weiss found during the first week of her stay at the academy, and visited when she needed a bit of rest from her noisy team.

"This is a really nice place." Said Blake. "How did you find it?"

"By accident. I was wandering around, trying to clear my head, and just stumbled upon it."

Blake hummed.

"But I must say, it's a bit strange. It almost looks like a restaurant." She said with a small smile.

"Well…" the heiress trailed off. "It technically is."

Seeing her teammate's surprised expression, she continued.

"This is part of the recreation area for dignitaries visiting Beacon."

Blake suddenly looked nervous.

"Wait… can we even be here?"

Weiss shrugged.

"There is no rule saying we _can't._ And as long as we do not get in anyone's way, I doubt they will throw us out."

Blake chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I didn't picture you as someone who would say something like that. You seem more…" Blake trield off.

"Stuck-up?" Weiss offered.

Blake blushed a little and looked to the side.

"No… 'proper' would the be word I'd use. More of 'if it's not allowed, it's forbidden' type of person."

"I guess… I must admit I used to be much more… stiff when it come to rules and regulations."

"But not anymore?"

Weiss huffed.

"Yes, not anymore. And I blame every bad thing that came out of it on the dunce."

"You mean Jaune?"

"Yes. He really was a bad influence on me. Sometimes I wonder why my father even allowed him to come so close to me. Though he probably never really cared."

This last sentence was mumbled quietly. So quietly in fact, that Blake doubted she would have heard it, if not for her being Faunus.

"So, if you don't mind me asking… what is between you and Jaune? You seem really close." Weiss let out tired sigh."I don't think you're secret lovers or anything like that. I'm not Yang. I'm just curious." Blake added quickly.

"Well, like I said many times, we are just good friends. And us being close?" She hummed, considering the answer.

"I guess it all just comes down to Jaune being the first… I guess you could call it 'normal' person my age that I had a chance to interact with. All my acquaintances up to that point were children of my father's business partners. Sure, they were friendly, but it was because it was expected of them... and from me."

She paused, lost in thought.

"We would smile at each other, joke around, even hang out. But it was all so…forced. Staged. Like a game - we all played it, even though we knew it was all just a facade."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Jaune was the first person I met who was just… friendly. There was no ulterior motives to his actions. He was friendly, because he wanted to be my friend. At first I was suspicious of him because of that. I guess I just couldn't believe he wanted to be friends just for the sake of being friends."

"After his first contract with my father ended, and he left, I felt… lonely. Then I realized how easy it was to talk to someone when you didn't have to be on your guard all the time. So next time Jaune came along, I decided to try and give him a chance. And it paid off. Sure, there were other people who I could talk with honestly - my sister, or my butler Klein. But with Jaune it was different. With Klein we had to stick to certain rules, he was employed by my father after all. With my sister… Well I love her dearly, and admire too. I always wanted to be like her, so I tried to act properly around her. With Jaune it was… different. He was not bound by the same rules as Klein, and he wasn't someone I admire, like my sister. I… I didn't had to be perfect around him."

"So how was he back then? He seem a bit…" Blake trailed off again.

"Dorky?"

"Yeah, that one."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"He was even worse than he is now. Seriously, it's baffling how he managed to survive in the Wilds. And don't even get me started on his social skills. Or rather lack of thereof. Seriously, the only reason he was not thrown away form any social gathering was because he was just too dorky, and no one took him seriously. Everyone thought he was just some comedian."

"It must have been nice." Blake said, after heiress stopped her little rant with a huff.

"Hmm?"

"Having so close a friend. I never had any."

"Really?" Weiss looked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah.. There was this one guy. I thought we were friends, even more than that. But then he changed… or maybe he was always like that, and I just didn't notice? I'm not sure. Anyway, there came a time when I realized that we can no longer see eye to eye, so I left."

"Do you regret it?" Weiss asked.

Blake looked up at the heiress.

"Do you regret leaving him?"

She took a moment to consider her answer.

"No… I don't think so. He was.." she paused, then sighed. "We disagreed on some fundamental levels. We used to share a dream, but…" she trailed off, and fell silent.

Weiss hummed.

"So.. who is your favorite writer?"

Blake looked up surprised and a bit confused, but took this chance to change the topic.

"I don't have one favorite. I just read whatever tickles my fancy. But if you want some recommendations, Then…"

Form there the conversion become much easier. They would start on a topic, discuss it for sometime, and then move on to the next. If it turned uncomfortable for one of them, they would change it, and pretend neither noticed.

It was strange, and a bit awkward at times - but after three hours, both girls were much more comfortable with each other. Maybe not full friends yet - but the first step was made, and now they at least had some topics to talk about.

One thing Weiss was particularly happy about was that Blake didn't inquiry where the heiress procured porcelain cups and the tea they drank. A sign on the doors to small kitchen said to 'not interrupt the staff', not 'do not enter', and she did leave some money, that would surely cover the cost of their tea. But even she could admit she was pushing borders quite heavily there.

Eventually, they decided to head back. But this time their walk was not silent, instead both of them enjoyed the easy discussion.

* * *

Blake chuckled at the heiress' joke. Their little outing went far better than she could have hoped. Weiss was much easier to talk to than Blake imagined. It turned out they have similar tastes in many areas - music, movies, books Though in the latter case, she didn't dared to mention some of the more… mature ones she read.

"So then we.. Jaune?"

Blake looked at the heiress in surprise, then up at where she was staring. Sure enough, the blond leader of team JNPR was there.

"He seems in a hurry." Blake noticed.

Well that was somewhat of an understatement. He was sprinting at full speed, heading towards the bullhead docks.

"Do you think something bad happened?"

The heiress just shrugged.

"Maybe, but it might be him just overreacting. Jaune tends to take his contracts too seriously."

Blake hummed, observing as Jaune ran past a few people, knocking someone down. He didn't seem to pay any attention at the angry shouts that followed him.

"Any idea what his job might be?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. But I don't think it's anything dangerous."

Blake raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?"

"He didn't have his weapon. He might be a dork, but not enough to go into combat unarmed."

Blake spared one more look at the running blond, and true to Weiss' words, his sword was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure he will be fine. Unless Pyrrha nags him to death."

Weiss snorted, and they continued walking towards the dorms.

Blake couldn't help but smile. Today was a good day.

* * *

Jaune dropped into the seat and pulled his scroll. He opened the last message he received, and started at the photo of a young girl.

Emilia Benger. Age 16. Student at a local high school. Good grades, liked by teachers and fellow students alike. President of the student council, and captain of the girls' basketball team. Her body was found only thirty minutes ago, in the older parts of Vale's trade district. She wasn't registered as missing yet - so she had died not long ago.

 _Well, that makes thirteen._

Jaune winced. This was getting really bad. Thirteen victims in the span of six days. There were little to no connection between them. Most of them didn't know each other. There were oraphons, daughters of simple workers, and directors of big companies. There were both human and fanus. Bodies were found in seemingly random locations around city, usually within its walls, and there were no visible injuries. There were only two common traits between them.

All victims were young girls, aged between thirteen and seventeen, and all of them turned in the same Harrowed after death: Class 2, subtype Dream Eater.

Jaune yawned and shook his head to stay awake.

Pyrrha was right - he really needed some rest. If he knew how it would turn out, he would probably have refused this contract. It was paying well, and Dream Eaters were not very hard to kill once you found them, but after a whole week of mostly sleepless nights, he was running on fumes.

He yawned again, and the checked messages he received again.

Five victims found, all over the city. It was unknown if they all were killed today, or some of them were simply not found earlier. Port was already on the case, but since the victims were spread all over the city, and killing five Harrowed in quick succession could prove dangerous for single Witcher, Jaune agreed to help.

The bullhead landed in Vale soon after. Jaune walked out and stretched, yawning yet again.

 _I really need to take a break. Hopefully whoever they hire will be better than the guy last night._

"Jaune Arc? Please come with us."

The blond hunter turned around to see two men walking his way. Even though both of them wore civilian clothes, Jaune recognized one of them as the police officer that arrested him not so long ago. He smiled at the man.

"Hey, I just got into Vale, and you already want to cuff me? Isn't this a bit harsh?"

The man snorted.

"You can be never too careful with you Hunter lot. Always going around causing trouble."

Jaune shook his head and followed the two men to an unmarked police car.

"So why are you out anyway? I thought Peter was supposed to take care of things today?"

Jaune turned to his companion. Steven Brown was a burly man in his mid forties. He was assigned to accompany Jaune on this case.

"Yeah, but with so many targets it's better to spread them between two people." He paused to yawn again. "It's dangerous for a single person to kill so many Harrowed in a single day."

"I heard they hired another Witcher yesterday…" Steven paused when he noticed Jaune scowl.

"That bad?"

"Yeah. Guy was more concerned about looking cool, than doing the job. He got knocked out and let the damn thing escape. I had to spend most of the night chasing it around."

"Can't they hire someone else? Or just pick a few Hunters?"

"It's not that easy. Dream Eaters remain in they 'ghost' form most of the time - you can barely see them, and they are almost completely immune to normal attacks.. They materialize only when they fight you - but the problem is that they tend to avoid direct confrontation."

"Then why hunt them? If they don't harm people…"

"I never said that." Jaune yawned again, then slapped his cheeks. "They are still dangerous, they just act differently. Normal a Wraith, or any Harrowed really, will attack you, and kill you as soon as it finds you. Dream Eaters work in different ways - they attach themselves to their victim, and follow them around, slowly draining them of Aura. Such a person will feel tired, might have trouble with concentrating, or remembering things. It's easy to write it off as exhaustion. And when the victim falls asleep - the Harrowed will drain them even faster. It can take weeks or even months before a person dies."

Jaune hummed, considering something for a moment.

"I guess you could say that if normal Harrowed are predators, Dream Eaters are more like parasites."

Steven noded once, and then considered his companion.

"Will you be ok though? You look look like you could fall asleep on your feet."

Jaune let out another yawn, and shook his head.

"Yeah, they are not hard to kill. Its finding them that is tricky. That's why it's important to take them out as soon as you locate one. Finding them afterwards is a real pain. That's also the reason why it's only me and Peter doing this job. You need to have some way of detecting invisible enemies to deal with Dream Eaters, and it's not something everyone can do."

Steven just nodded. The rest of the way passed interrupted only occasional small talk. Normally, Jaune prefered to stay silent and focus on the job. But this time he welcomed distraction - it helped him stay awake.

After around thirty minutes, Steven parked the car in one of the more remote areas of Vale.

 _Not remote enough._

Jaune thought, noticing several people milling around. It was not a crowd by any means, and he knew some of them were police officers in disguise, but there were a few civilians too.

 _Oh well, it changes nothing. As long as I don't mess anything up, it should be alright._

"Here. I believe this is yours."

Jaune took a long, metallic case handed to him by Steven. It looked fairly simple - black, about one and a half meters long, with single handle in the middle. There was an electronic lock on one side, as well as a small scanner. Jaune entered the six digit code into lock, and pressed his thumb to the scanner. After a moment, the locks were released, and Jaune opened the case, revealing Eclipse resting inside.

After it became clear this assignment would drag out, Jaune decided to leave his black sword in the Company office, rather than the school. That way he didn't have to waste time going to locker rooms everytime he needed it, and didn't risk people stopping him to ask why he carried his weapon on school grounds.

With a nod, he closed the case again, but didn't activate the lock. Instead, he picked it up, and started walking towards building in front of him. Judging by sign in the door, it used to be a hairdresser salon, but it was long since closed.

The doors opened easily, revealing an interior devoid of any furniture, but with a lot of dust, and what seemed like the remains of fireplace on the floor. There were two people inside. Dirty, mismatched clothes, unshaved faces, and bottles in paper bags they held made them look no different than any other beggar in Vale.

"You can leave. Tell the guys outside to stay at least one hundred meters away, and not to enter until I'm done.

Both men nodded and left. Jaune shook his head. They had to be either crazy, or have balls of steel. Keeping watch _inside_ of a haunted building, when you didn't even have Aura, was not something many people would willingly do. But members of Vale's police Special Response Unit were some of the toughest bastards Jaune had ever worked with.

He took Eclipse from its case, and waited for the sounds of footsteps outside to quiet down, then activated both his blade, and Semblance. Jaune briefly considered trying out the technique Peter taught him two weeks ago, but he still had a long way to go with it, and this was not time to be experimenting.

With a sigh, Jaune pulled two Elixirs from his belt and drank them both. He was already exhausted, and it wasn't even that long since last time he activated his Aura vision.

 _Three perception enhancers, and three Dusk's in around twelve hours. I can already tell, this will be the most epic hangover ever._

He winced a bit when the light nausea attack hit him. But thankfully it was short, and Jaune started heading towards the doors at the far end of the room - where he knew stairs leading to the cellar were.

Soon after, he was in small, dark, and damp room. It looked similar to the one above - only difference was a few old wooden boxes in one corner, and less empty bottles lying around.

Oh, and the corpse of a young girl in the middle of the room.

Jaune looked around. Spotting the Harrowed was not hard - it hovered around one meter above the dead body.

Unlike most Wraiths, Dream Eaters didn't look like something pulled straight out of a schizophrenic's nightmare. Most notable difference was the face - it brought to mind a young, sleeping woman, not a deformed human skull. It also had normal fingers instead of sharp claws, and long, black hair that floated gently in the air instead of eldritch bluish, or greenish flames.

Jaune took his stance, and started to close the distance slowly. When the Harrowed didn't react even when he was not more than three meters away from it, he broke into a sprint and buried Eclipse into its chest. There was no soul-crushing howl, no sudden burst of telekinetic energy, or eruption of otherworldly flames. Just a quiet sigh as it started to turn into motes of light.

Jaune winced. He hated dealing with Dream Eaters the most. Whether it was their appearance, or strange behavior, he didn't know, but they always made him uncomfortable. He shook his head to dispel such thoughts and focused on the body instead. It was cold, but still a bit soft.

 _So she died relatively recently. That would explain why the Harrowed don't move - it still hadn't not formed fully._

He looked the dead girl over carefully, but couldn't find any noticable wounds. There was no blood, no deformations indicating blunt trauma, and as far as he could tell, there was no sign she suffocated, drowned, or had been strangled.

 _Oh well, I guess I'll leave this to the police. This is a fairly fresh body, so maybe they will find something this time._

Jaune spared one last glance towards the corpse, and swept the room just to make sure there were no Harrowed traces left. Only then, he left the building. Back in the open he leaned on the wall, and slumped, taking deep breaths.

 _I really need a break._ He thought.

"You are out fasts. I hope this means that the job is done, not that you got scared and ran away?"

Jaune looekd up at Steven, and accepted the offered hand.

"Yeah. It didn't have a chance to fully form, so I took it out without any problem. By the way, that means the corpse is still fresh. Maybe the folks from the lab will find something this time."

Steven just nodded, and hauled him towards car. Since not a single body had any injury, the current theory a was that some kind of poison was used. However, so far identifying it proved difficult - there was some damage to internal organs that supported this theory, but no traces of any known poison was discovered in any of the victims' bodies.

Oh well,. It was not his job to find this out, and even if it was, he was too tired to think about anything right now.

Not him, nor any of the cops paid any attention to the figure observing them from one of the alleys.

* * *

He slumped against the wall and let out a ragged breath. He failed. Again.

This was supposed to be a good day. The day when he finally succeed. He put a lot of work into this, used the best ingredients he could get his hands on, double, triple, or even quadruple-checked every step, every dose, everything.

It was perfect. Today he was supposed to finally complete the medicine for Emily. But there were some things he had to take care of, so he left the medicine in the usual meeting place with precise instructions on how to use it, in case he didn't not make it back in time. He was sure it would work - it was a recipe of his Master after all.

But now he would never know. His first hint that something is wrong was the people. There were more than usual, and some of them were a bit too focused on looking around. Some of them were walking from place to place, but never strayed too far from the same spot.

He hurried, picking well-known alleys to reach his destination faster. But his heart almost stopped when he noticed a blond boy with a very familiar case in hand leaving the building where they were supposed to meet.

He knew what this case contained, and what him leaving this building meant. It meant that Emily was gone. That he would never see her smile again. That he failed.

His hand clutched his chest. Why? Why was this happening?

He just wanted to help. Emily was such a nice girl - far too trusting for her own good, cheerful, nice, and always smiling. But he knew, from the moment he saw her, it was all just a farce.

She was ill. Very ill. No one else noticed, but frankly, he didn't blame them. Symptoms were subtle, almost impossible to notice. The only reason he was able to do so, was because he saw them oh so many times already. So he did everything he could to help her.

He wasn't arrogant enough to think he was only one that could, or even that he was best for the job - this would be his Master. But he wasn't there, so it was up to him to act.

He spoke with her just this morning - she was so excited to meet him. And now she was dead. Gone forever. Murdered by some maniac in broad daylight.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed off the wall, and started walking. He didn't care where he was going, just as long as it were away from this place.

Ever since coming to Vale, he found several girls suffering from the same illness. Even though he knew the chances for success were low, he tried his best to help them. And he did - he managed to save far more than usual. Only for all of them to die soon after.

He briefly considered if this was his fault. Was he somehow drawing death to them? Maybe the murderer was someone who had grudge against him, and was killing those girls just to hurt him? Was it better if he just stopped?

He shook his head. No, that was ridiculous. He was not so important to warrant attention like that, and it definitely was not his fault that some… some _monster_ decided to kill them. And even if that was true - they would have suffer even more if he did nothing.

He took a deep breath, and steeled his resolve. He couldn't give up. He had to continue. Not for himself.

Not even for his Master.

But for them.

* * *

 **Well, that wraps it up. A little bonding between Blake and Weiss, Vale is terrorized by a series of murders, and our blond Witcher is working his ass off to save both the citizens of Vale, and his own wallet.**

 **Also, we got a bit of insight into Jaune and Weiss' relationship. In case there are any White Knight fans reading this, I'll make it clear - they are just friends, and there will be** _ **no**_ **romance between those two in this story. Sorry folks, maybe some other time.**

 **Oh, and speaking of Jaune and Weiss - here is another omake of their time together:**

* * *

It was strange, Weiss decided, how even the smallest things could shock very fundations of your life. How even simplest, most mundane thing could lead to you changing the way you see the world.

Weiss believed in order. She believed that everything, and everyone had its place in the universe. She believed that there are certain fundamental truths, so absolute that no one could ever question them. That's why certain things just worked the way they did - and there was no reason to question them.

But what if one of these truths was proven to be false? Suddenly every other looked less… absolute. If one of them could be so easily torn to shreds, what about the others?

And what did this mean for Weiss? Was everything she ever believed a lie? Were her dreams even hers? Was _she_ even her? Maybe she was an imposter, a dopplengar with a false memory put in the place of the real Weiss, who was now suffering in some creepy dungeon? How could she know anything? How could she trust anything, when the very foundations of reality were torn down before her very eyes?

She looked up again, taking in scene in front of her. An impossible scene, something that by all rights should not be happening. But it was. It wasn't a dream, or illusion, or hallucination. Or maybe it was? Maybe the whole word, and everything in it was just a mirage, including Weiss.

"Here, try this one."

She stared at one Jaune Arc, presenting her yet another dress with a goofy smile on his face. With sigh Weiss accepted it, and went into the changing room.

She looked good in it. As she did in every one of the thirty two she tried out up till now.

She _felt_ good in it. As she did in every one before.

How could Jaune Arc, a boy, be able to pick dresses for her so perfectly? This shouldn't be happening. This went against one of most basic laws of universe - men hated shopping for clothing.

Sure some of them might have gotten used to it, even enough to actually offer some sound advice. But they would never, ever enjoy it. Because the universal truth was this - when woman took man to clothing shopping, it was to make him suffer.

He should not actually enjoy it.

He should not be able to guess her mesurments with a single glance.

He shouldn't be able to pick the perfect dress everytime - one that not only fit perfectly, but also looked good on her.

He most definitely shouldn't be able to pick accessories that matched every dress, her eyes, hair, and skin.

And absolutely, definitely, most certainly he shouldn't be so good at all of this that even employees of Atlas most famous clothing stores were impressed.

When they finally left - after Jaune received several employment offers - Weiss was silent. She desperately tried to make some sense of what just happened. She remained mostly silent for rest of the night. She vaguely recalled her servants taking bags from them. Then they visited some more stores, restaurants, and then - to her surprise - a simple food stall. Her father would probably have a stroke if he saw her even _look_ at place such as this, but her? She didn't care. Not after what happened.

The food was good. Not delicious, not amazing, not even close in quality to what she usually ate. Her chef would probably commit seppuku with a butter knife if he saw what she was eating.

But she didn't care. Even though it was not good, she enjoyed it. Maybe it was the shock of her world crumbling to dust, or maybe the people around who did not pay any attention to her, or maybe the blond boy next to her - who was treating her as just a friend. Not a connection, not business partner, nor a way to further his own agenda.

Just a friend.

"So.. wanna get some ice cream?"

Ice cream? At this hour? And no doubt bought in some run-down place.. Local tabloids would have field day if they found out that Weiss Schnee was doing something so undignified. It was bad enough she visited some simple food stall, with a boy, and was now eating kebab with far too much sauce.

"Sounds good." She answered with a smile. To hell with tabloids, rules, and expectations. The world stopped making any sense somewhere between the second and fourth perfectly fitting dress Jaune picked for her. She could at least have a little fun before reality collapsed, and everything returned to the nothingness.


	14. Taking Break, Taking Action

**Welcome to ch 13 of TPA. Hopefully it won't be unlucky.**

* * *

 **Ch13**

Jaune looked at his reflection in mirror and winced. He didn't look too good. And he wasn't even talking about shadows under his eyes, or how tired his face looked. He lifted his right hand, and winced again. The pain wasn't as strong as it was before he applied his medicines, but it still hurt to move it around.

Most Witchers prefered to take at least a day or two of break after each Harrowed kill. And if they had to take on three in a single week -they would usually take at least two weeks to recover.

Not because of exhaustion, or wounds. Though these could be valid reasons too, but there was another, much more serious concern - corruption.

Jaune clenched his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him. It originated from his right arm - which now was pitch black, with multiple red, slightly glowing lines covering it.

 _Well, could be worse. Good thing they finally hired some help, me and Peter wouldn't be able to keep this up any longer._

Jaune sighed, and started putting on his uniform. He spend most of previous week hunting Harrowed left in wake of some new psycho murderer. The only reason he accepted the job was because Peter had asked him to. The old Witcher received an emergency request when he was busy with some other job. Since he was out of Vale, and it would take him several hours to get back, he contacted Jaune, and asked him to take care of it.

Jaune hadn't had anything better to do, so he agreed. He needed the money anyway, after a whole weekend spent with his family, his bank account was looking rather miserable. The job looked simple enough - a murder victim turned into Harrowed. It happened all the time.

He took care of the job fast enough - only for more murders to follow. And every single victim turned into the same type of Harrowed. That got him worried. Both because it was a mystery - it wasn't unusual for the victim of a brutal murder to turn into a Harrowed. And if every victim was killed in the same way, it wasn't unlikely it would be the same type. What got Jaune on edge was how similar this case was to one he was helping with a few months ago in Atlas. Back then, the victims were young girls too, and all of them turned into Harrowed too, though not everyone was the same type.

Jaune finished putting on his uniform, and a single, white glove on his right hand. Thankfully, his team didn't questioned this addition. And honestly - if Ruby could wear her cloak everywhere, he could put a single glove on, right?

His team was already ready and waiting for him.

 _Good thing Beacon uniforms cover so much. That would be a really awkward conversation if they saw my arm right now._

They were on the way to cafeteria when Nora skipped to him and asked with wide grin.

"So, Fearless Leader, care to explain what happened yesterday?"

"Hmmm?"

"Oh, don't you play dumb. We barely left the bullhead, and you were stopped by some guy in a suit. What was that about?"

Jaune smiled at the memorey. After his Saturday job, Pyrrha all but demanded he will take a break. He didn't protest, since he knew full well he needed one. So his plan for Sunday was to eat breakfast, sleep, eat lunch, sleep some more, maybe hang out with his friends a bit, and then sleep again.

It worked perfectly - until the 'hanging out' part. His team decided to visit Vale. On the way to the dock, they met team RWBY who had a similar idea. It was turning out to be nice outing - up until the moment they left the bullhead in Vale. Almost immediately, Jaune was approached by a Company agent, and basically forced into a car.

"Please Nora, I don't want to talk about it." He groaned.

"Did something bad happen?" Asked Pyrrha.

"No, it's just…" he sighed and shook his head. "Let's just say that the job description didn't match reality."

"I guess it's another secret you can't really talk about?"

"Yeah, something like that. Company regulations are pretty strict when it comes to sharing information about jobs."

"I see…" Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say something, but then gave up with a tired sigh. Instead, she turned to Nora, and the two girls started talking quietly together.

Soon after they reached the cafeteria, and sat in front of team RWBY. Jaune barely sat his tray down, before Yang leaned towards him with a grin.

"So, Ladykiller, what was that about yesterday?"

Jaune's head hit table, a long groan the only response Yang received.

"Wow. That bad?"

"Total waste of time. Well, I got paid well, so maybe not total."

"And I guess you can't tell us what that was about?"

Jaune lifted his head and sighed.

"Yes. Like I've said on multiple occasion, there are rules. I can't just go on and say what I was doing, especially when the contract specifically says that everything I do has to be kept a secret."

Yang just hummed, and went back to her meal. Form there it was the usually light conversation - them talking what they were up to, complaining about classes, and other things any normal students would talk about. Jaune wasn't participating in the conversation too much - mostly because he was still tried, in bad mood after last night's job, and because he was too busy trying to not wince in pain everytime Nora bumped into his right arm.

He was doing well, but after one particularly strong hit, he felt something worrying. Up until now, the pain was dulled, coming in waves. Now it felt as if someone was poking his arm with hot needles. And there were more and more of them with every second.

 _Crap. Well, looks like today will be fun._

"Sorry guys, need to go to restroom." He said aloud, getting up and leaving the cafeteria. He didn't pay much attention to what response - if any - he got. If he did, he might have noticed the conflicted expression on Pyrrha's face.

* * *

"So… Are we gonna just ignore that?" Asked Yang.

Pyrrha let out a tired sigh.

"I guess we have little choice in the matter. Jaune made it clear he is not willing to talk about this with us." She said, hurt evident in her voice.

"You tried asking him?" Asked Ruby, with a hint of worry.

"Not about what is up with his hand specifically. But every time we try to talk about anything related to what he's doing in Vale, he quickly changes subject." Answered Ren.

After that the table fell silent.

They noticed something was wrong last Wednesday. It was a small thing - Jaune started to wear a glove on his right hand. It wasn't anything to worry about in itself, but the fact he was wearing it all the time, even when sleeping, coupled with other things, made it clear that something was wrong.

Like the time Nora sneaked a peek at his Elixir box, and noticed several bottles were missing.

Or that he started to sleep in a long sleeve shirt, rather than his usual t-shirt.

Or the fact that he was making tonics from various herbs - some of which Ren identified as having strong anesthetic properties.

Or how his mysterious job started the same day the murders did, and Jaune's reaction to the reports of new victims found - or rather lack of any.

Pyrrha didn't think that he didn't care, he just wasn't surprised.

And then there was the conversation she overheard last Friday. She was sneaked out of her room late at night and headed towards the docks, hoping to catch her partner and have a talk with him. She found him talking to someone on his scroll. Pyrrha didn't catch much of the conversation, but what little she overheard told her enough.

Jaune needed money. She wasn't sure if it was because he owed it to someone, or for other reasons, but it was clear he needed it fast. When he finished talking, she considered coming out and confronting him about it, but something stopped her. What if he just gave her some lame excuse and walked away? What if he got angry ? What if he did tell the truth - and it was something she wouldn't be able to accept?

She realized she might be overreacting - but she really loved her team. And she didn't want to lose it. So instead of going out to talk to her partner, Pyrrha returned to her room, and pretended she didn't hear anything.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?"

Ruby's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Pyrrha let out a tired sigh, and looked up at the young team leader.

"I don't know Ruby. Honestly, I'm afraid that if we ask, he will avoid the subject. And even if he tells us truth…" she didn't finish.

After that, they remained silent for a moment. Eventually, it was time leave the cafeteria for their first class of the day.

On the way, Ruby bumped her arm with Pyrrha's and sent a reassuring smile to the red haired champion.

She smiled back and nodded.

Maybe she was just overthinking things. Maybe it was nothing, and she was just looking for problems where there weren't any.

Maybe if she told herself that enough, she would believe it.

* * *

Monday classes passed relatively fast. Sure, it felt like they were dragging on forever, but even then they were free before two o'clock.

Well, expect Jaune. He had to sit through an hour and half of supplementary lesson with Oobleck. He did his best to listen and take notes. He really did. But the subject was so boring, and Oobleck talked so fast, that it was almost impossible to focus on the lesson. A sharp pain coming from his right arm didn't help, nor did the nausea and slight migraine.

 _Well, it have been worse. And payment is good, so I guess I can't complain too much._

He sighed. He usually avoided taking contracts set up by the police. He didn't know why, but this particular institution was almost alway short on funds. However, it turned out the Vale Police had pretty deep pockets. They even threw in a nice bonus after he and Peter finished their Friday jobs. And then another for the emergency call on Saturday.

Jaune smiled, but it turned into a wince when another wave of pain washed over him. With all the little jobs he took for the past six months, he managed to save quite a bit. Sure, his bank account got hit pretty hard after a weekend spent with his family, but he was not worried about that. This contract with the VPD, not to mention this extra job from yesterday, more than covered all the losses.

 _Just a little more. I'm almost there._

He sighed again. With how far his corruption went, he would need to take at least two weeks break from hunting Harrowed, possibly more. This meant that most likely he would not be able to work with VPD on this case anymore.

Jaune sighed again. Another reason why he don't like working with police, was because it always made him feel bad that he essentially profiting from the suffering of other people. Leon always said to not be bothered by it, since the same could be said about every Hunter related job, nut Jaune knew his teacher shared this sentiment.

 _Oh, well doesn't matter. I only need a few thousands more, shouldn't be too hard to earn with Peter's help._

Just before his family visited Vale, Jaune had a little talk with his Grimm studies professor. After he explained his situation, and why he needed the money, the old Hunter was more than happy to assist Jaune in both finding suitable jobs, and providing him excuses to leave Beacon. He set only one condition - that Jaune will not let this affect his grades.

Jaune sapred quick glance at rest of classroom. He wasn't only student having to take supplementary lessons with his History teacher. Most people seemed as interested in what oobleck was saying as he was, but few were diligently taking notes.

After class finally ended, Jaune let out lng sigh and slumped out of classroom. He stopped briefly outside, considering what he should do. There was some homework he needed to do, so he could go to library. His team apparently went to Vale - and specifically informed him to _not_ follow them.

Jaune smirked when he read this message on his scroll. He knew they were upset about him leaving them yesterday, and whole 'no talking about job' thing, and he did feel a little abt about it. But rules were rules, and unless it was life-or-death situation, it would be unprofessional of him to break them on whim.

 _So, I guess I'll go to library after all. Got my homework done, maybe read some book. I heard Beacon have quite impressive collection._

* * *

"Weiss you know something, don't you?" Yang stated, looking intently at her teammate.

Heiress put away her cup of coffee and looked up at her teammate.

"I'm not sure what do you mean by that."

"Oh don't play dumb with me. We all noticed this looks you are sending Jaune's way ever since this murders started. You know something about what he is doing, don't you?"

Weiss opened her mouth to respond put paused when hand grabbed her own.

"Please. If you know anything, please tell us." Pyrrha pleaded.

Heiress looked around the table. All members of team RWBY and JNPR - minus the leader - were gathered in open-air cafe. It was nice, quiet place, perfect to relax after long and tiresome day at Beacon. Both teams chatted, laughed and generally had good time.

But it didn't took long for conversations steer towards recents murder spree. And from there - to certain very troublesome blond team leader.

Weiss took one more sip, before speaking.

"Listen, I know about his current job as much as any of you. It's just that…" she let out a tired sigh and continued, "a few months ago Jaune visited Atlas. There was a similar murder spree going on - all victims were young girls too, seemingly not connected. I remember him being on edge. He and his teacher were spending a lot of time in the city, often coming back late and exhausted. I saw them talking with the police a few times. But I do not know if it was related to the murders - when I asked Jaune, he just said it was a personal matter."

"You think it might have been related? Like, he was chasing the person responsible for the murders?" Ruby asked.

"I said, I don't know!" The heiress snapped. Then she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and continued.

"All I know is that Jaune and Leon came to Atlas. They stayed for about two weeks, and then left. The murders stopped around the same time."

"So it is possible it had something to do with the murders." Blake mused.

"Yes, it is plausible. But back then he was more… restless. He could barely sit in one place. Whenever he wasn't out in the city, he would talk about something with his teacher in secret, or train."

Weiss sighed.

"He.. wasn't in a good place then. I could see it in his eyes in the rare moments we got to talk. He was angry. Very angry. And scared."

There were a few moments of silence after Weiss finished. The one who broke it was Nora.

"Do you think it's the same now?" She asked quietly. It was strange coming from normally energetic girl.

"I really don't think so. He doesn't seem as agitated as back then. Just tired."

"Then why he won't talk to us about what he's doing?" Inquired Ren.

Weiss scoffed.

"Because he is an idiot. He's got it stuck in his head that he cannot allow himself to be 'unprofessional', whatever this means\\. I have no idea why, but it was the same back when we first met."

"I see…" said Pyrrha.

Yang looked over her friends, and then smirked

"So… what are we gonna do about it?"

"Do we need to do anything?" Asked Blake.

"We don't. But aren't you guys curious? Ladykiller has some serious secrets here, and I can't be only one who wants to find out more. Besides, we can as well try to look into the murders. Who knows, maybe we can find whoever is responsible for this. We will be heroes!"

Weiss just sighed.

"Yang, do you seriously think that a bunch of students could prove more capable of finding the criminal than the police? And even assuming we would - what do you intend to do? It's not like we can arrest anyone."

"Yang…"

"Yes, Nora?"

Theinger girl let out a sigh and then looked up at the blond, who just laughed nervously.

"This idea…"

"Yeah?"

"IS BRILLIANT!" She shouted, grabbing both Ren and Pyrrha by their necks and squeezing them.

"We will be like super detectives, and will find out why Jaune is so grumpy, and we will be famous, and we will get tons of pancakes! It will be great!"

Yang grinned.

"Well, looks like they are on board. How about you guys?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to protest, but paused when Nora squeezed her a bit harder. She glanced at Ren, who managed to look totally unbothered by the fact his head was half buried in Nora's chest. When he noticed Pyrrha's gaze he just mouthed 'roll with it'.

One look at Nora's maniacal smile told her that this solution might be better for her health.

"Well. We are Huntresses. It's our job to help people." Said Ruby nodding to herself.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to look into this. If we find anything, we can inform the police. It's not like we have to chase whoever is responsible ourselves." Blake added with a nod.

All eyes focused on Weiss, who just shook her head.

"I guess I'll tag along. Someone has to keep an eye on you lot, or you will get in trouble."

Yang wrapped an arm around the heiress.

"Oh, don't be like that. Weiss-cream. We all know you're worried about Jaune."

"I'm not!"

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Even though you were nagging him about taking better care of himself even more than Pyrrha? Or that you complained for hours on end how irresponsible he is for overworking himself? Or that you were making spare notes for him, when he fell asleep in class?"

Yang leaned closer and smirked.

"Or that you were looking out for him through our window, and only went to sleep when you made sure he came back?"

"I-I did none of those things!"

Yang's smirk grew even further. She pulled out her scroll, placed it on the table where everyone could see it, and opened a folder named 'Teasing Materials W'.

"Oh? Then I suppose this isn't you on this little recor.." This was all she managed to say before Weiss shut the scroll down, and got up.

"Let's go everyone! If we are to find this murderer, we can't afford to waste time!" She exclaimed, heading towards the exit.

The rest of the just shrugged and followed her.

"So… any idea where to start?" Asked Ruby

Yang grinned.

"I know just the place."

* * *

"So, this is it?" Asked Blake, looking at the entrance to the club apparently named 'The Club.' Not the most original name, but hey, who was she to judge?

"Yeah, owner's an information broker. Apparently he knows about everything that goes on in Vale."

"And why would you know such people?" Asked Weiss with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm a worldly girl, I visit all sort of places. Anyway, We shouldn't all go in, people in there might get nervous if six Huntresses and one Hunter suddenly burst in. Besides, Ruby's too young to enter anyway."

"Aren't we all?" Asked Blake.

"Hush, you. Ok people, me and Ren are going in. They know me, so it might be easier to get them to talk. And Ren's a cool guy, so he won't put them on edge."

"Then why do you need him?"

"What, you want to send a beautiful and delicate girl like me to a place like this alone? Just think what could happen. Someone might try and molest me!"

All of them snorted.

"But on a more serious note. All kinds of people come here. Most of the time everyone's chill. But sometimes you will find an idiot who had one drink too much and will try to start something. If they see a Hunter they might want to try they chances. But against two? No way."

"I guess that makes sense." Said Ren with a nod. He turned to the rest of the girls "So what are you gonna do, while we are inside? Wait for us?"

"I see little point in us just standing here. I'll go to the CCT and make a few calls. Maybe I will be able to learn something about the murders in Atlas, see if there are any similarities." Said Weiss.

"Oh! Can I come with you?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress nodded with a small smile.

"Sure. Why not?"

Blake shrugged.

"There's a book store nearby, and I know the owner. I'll try asking him if he knows anything, then check the web for any info."

Nora grabbed Pyrrha's hand and dragged her closer.

"Then me and Pyr will just try asking around places where the victims were found. Maybe someone saw something."

Yang nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. We will start asking around once we are done inside. So, where do we meet up?"

"I guess at Beacon. We will have to go back soon anyway." Said Ren.

"Ok, so let's not waste anymore time. Get moving!" Exclaimed Ruby, before turning around and sprinting away, her cloak fluttering behind her.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted at her partner.

The red Huntress paused and looked back.

"The CCT is that way." The heiress said, pointing in the opposite direction of where Ruby was heading.

There was a moment's pause, then a sudden gust of wind leaving a few rose petals behind. Ruby Rose passed, now standing where her partner pointed.

Weiss shook her head, and followed after her team leader.

The rest of group split up, leaving Ren and Yang alone.

The blond cracked her neck.

"Ok, Ren, let's get this show on the road. Stay close to me, do what I say, and you might get out of this intact. I like this club, would hate to see Nora destroy it in revenge."

Ren just smirked.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Have you ever been in the club like this before?"

"No."

"Have you ever even seen a club before?"

"Not really. Me and Nora lived in a small village."

"Then what makes you think you are even remotely prepared for what await us inside?"

"Living with Nora for the past ten years." He deadpanned.

Yang opened her mouth, then closed it.

"Good point."

Soon after they entered The Club, and the loud music and crowd surrounded them.

* * *

Blake let out a tired sigh. She spend the last hour browsing various news sites, forums, looking for any reliable info about the recent murders spree. She didn't have much luck. Only thing certain is that every victim was a young girl, there was no connection between them, and that according to the police, they were all poisoned. The last thing was only new information she learned - and it wasn't like it would help them in finding the one responsible.

She looked to clock, and confirmed she had about two and half hour before she had to go back to Beacon.

 _Can browse some more I guess. I wonder if others had more luck._

* * *

"Thank you for your assistance."

"You are welcome Miss Schnee. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me."

"Of course sir. I wish you good day." With that, Weiss ended her call. It honestly went better than expected. The few people from Atlas Police Department she contacted were all too happy to assist the heiress to the SDC. While they couldn't provide all the information through a normal call like that, they assured her she would get all the info she wanted delivered to her scroll.

"That was awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, looking at her partner in awe.

Weiss huffed.

"It's to be expected from a Schnee. Our name carries a lot of weight, especially in Atlas."

"They were so nice, and so eager to help! They treated you like you were a princess!"

"Now, let's not got ahead of ourselves Ruby. This was simple transaction. They didn't really lose anything by sharing info about a long closed investigation like that, and by doing me a favor, they can expect a favor in return in the future. This is how this works."

"I see. But it was still impressive!"

"I guess it is..."

"Ok Weiss! So I guess we'll be heading back now? If they are going to send you all the info to your scroll, we can look over it in our room."

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Let's go Ruby."

"I wonder if the others are ok."

"I'm sure they are. They all can take care of themselves."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh." Weiss mused or a moment. "Well Blake looks like the kind of girl who would rather avoid trouble. Nora is kinda energetic, and talks about breaking legs a lot, but I don't think she would seek trouble. Or harm innocent people. Yang…" she trailed off, shooting a wary glance at her partner.

"Well, she has Ren with her. If he can deal with Nora, maybe he will be able to prevent Yang from getting into trouble too." Ruby said.

Weiss just nodded. Yes, Ren looks like a very reasonable man. Surely he will not let the brash Xiao Long do anything reckless.

* * *

"I'll ask you for the last time. Are you really, positively, absolutely sure you want to do this? If you just walk away…"

"Shut your fucking mouth, moron. You talked so big back there in front of your girl, and now you chicken out?" Said one man.

"Yeah. Don't think you can just talk back to the Black Reapers like that and get away with it." Added the second.

"And don't worry. We will take really good care of blondie back inside." The third exclaimed and laughed.

"Yeah! She'll finally get a chance to hang out with real men. She must be really desperate for one if she went out with a wimp like you." The first added. It elected a wave of laughter from his companions. All twelve of them.

"I mean,seriously, why would she go out with a fag? What, she thinks she is so hot, she could set him straight?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her. You don't see a rack like that everyday."

"Or maybe she's lesbian? And wants to have a girls' night out?" Another wave of laughter.

"Well then, we will have to help set her straight then!"

Ren took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it go. He could have ignored it. Even back in the bar, when the muscular, bald, and tattooed guy sat next to Yang, and started asking her out. Obviously Yang was not interested, and just as obviously, the slightly drunk guy didn't get the hint.

When Yang ignored him yet again, in favor of talking with Ren, the guy got offended that he was stealing attention from 'his' girl.

He could ignored him back then, he was sure that the club bouncers would throw the annoying gangster-wannabe out if he got too bothersome. Even when he told guy to take it outside, he could have avoided the current situation by simply running away. He wasn't Ruby, but he was fast enough to outrun any civilian.

But he didn't. Instead he followed the group of twelve tattooed, oddly dressed men to a nearby alley. He allowed them to push him inside, against wall, and block his escape route.

Even then he could probably have tried to talk it out. Failing that, he could use his Semblance to calm them down, and end this peacefully.

But he didn't.

Instead he looked over people surrounding him one more time. They were smirking, throwing insults at him, some pulled out 'weapons.' A knife here, a baseball bat there. One had brass knuckles, another a heavy looking chain.

Ren tried to not laugh. You hang around a girl wielding a warhammer that turned into a grenade launcher long enough, and your perception of what is, and what isn't a weapon changes.

"I see. Then I guess we are doing this after all."

"Hell yeah we are!"

"And don't blame us for what happens next. You brought it on yourself!"

"Yeah..." he said, pulling out his scroll.

They all looked at each other, surprised by his calm response. It grew even further when the first tunes of an angry melody came out of his scroll. They probably didn't expect him to start playing songs in situation like that, much less one like that. Ren didn't blame them. No one expected it from him.

He looked up at them.

"I guess I did. And I must thank you."

' _Arf arf_

 _Yeah, yeah, yeah (Grrrr)'_

The first lines of song came out of his scroll.

Ren cracked his neck, and smirked.

"I needed to blow off some steam. It's nice of you to volunteer."

' _Uh, Yeah don't get it twisted_

 _This rap shit, is mine'_

The song continued.

They looked at each other, and then, with angry shouts, charged forward. Ren smirked and charged too.

 _I wonder what Nora up too. I hope she is not giving Pyrrha too much trouble._ He thought, avoiding the first strike, and countering with an open palm strike to the chest.

* * *

"Awwwwwww it was such a waste of time. We learned nothing!" Exclaimed Nora, hanging from her teammate's neck.

"Well, it was just the first day. And it's not like we had any plan. Honestly, it would be a miracle if we learned anything at all. Things like that happen only in the movies." Said Pyrrha, chuckling at her friend's antics.

"I knowwwwwww. But Still I hoped we will find something. I wonder how rest are doing. I hope Renny is ok."

"I'm sure he is fine. Anyway, what do you want to do now? We go back, or continue searching?"

Nora got to her feet, and pulled her scroll checking something out for a few moments.

"Hmm… Still nothing."

"What?"

"There is still no report of a new victim. Or victims. There were none yesterday either."

Pyrrha hummed. Nora was right. Ever since last Monday, there were reports of new victims found everyday.

"Do you think they stopped for good?"

"Don't think so. The police are no closer to finding out who was behind this yesterday, than they were last Monday. So unless the murderer just randomly decided to quit, I'm sure he will be coming back soon."

Pyrrha nodded. That made sense. She really wished these murders would stop quickly as possible, and for very selfish - directly or indirectly, were putting strain on her team relations. And she hated that.

"Anyway, let's go back to Beacon. Maybe the others had more luck than us." She said aloud.

Nora considered her words for a moment. Just when Pyrrha though she would start arguing, her teammate nodded.

"I guess you are right. Maybe Renny is back already. I wonder what kind of pancakes he will make today.

* * *

He observed two girls walking away. It was obvious they were looking for him - and even though normally he would be thrilled to have such beautiful ladies after him, he had a feeling those two had less than pleasant intentions.

Really, he should have seen this coming. With the blond boy and the old man on his tail already, he knew more pursuers would come soon enough. For the moment, he had to lay low for a while - possibly even leave the city altogether.

Well, he was running low on his supplies and was planning on going out to gather some more anyway. Might as well do it now. Hopefully, by the time he was done, the heat would die down a bit.

* * *

 **And that wraps up this week chapter. Jaune gets his well-deserved rest, our mysterious killer gets his ill-deserved rest. And both teams turned out to be not as oblivious as Jaune though they were (or hoped).**

 **Oh, and in case you wonder - song Ren started playing is 'X gon give it to ya' by DMX**

 **JJD: Not bad, but I'd argue Winter has a better playlist ;-)**

 **Anyway, omake time:**

* * *

 **Learning begins**

It was a peaceful day. Sun was shining, birds were singing, the delicate breeze ruffled blond locks of one Jaune arc, who was currently sailing through the air.

 _The clouds are so beautiful today…_

He thought, right before his back slammed into a tree. Jaune slid down with a loud groan, but by now knew better than to stay in one place. He threw himself to the side, and was rewarded with the sound of a metal-reinforced boot slamming into the tree trunk, not his torso. He didn't have much time to celebrate though - he hastily rolled, avoiding a downward thrust to his stomach, and pushed himself up, facing his opponent in full.

Leon was already upon him, his sword swinging towards Jaune's head. The blond managed to block it, but the force of blow send him sprawling on the ground.

 _Get back up, get back up!_

He didn't made it. The practice sword slammed into his solar plexus, knocking air out of him.

"Out already? Well, I guess this is it for today."

Jaune managed to stop coughing and staggered to his feet.

"No, I can still…"

The slash was slow, lazy even. Jaune could see it coming cleary, but his arms were just too heavy to lift them in time to block it. It wasn't a strong strike, more of little tap, but he still staggered and fell.

"Don't give me that bullshit Jaune. If you try to train when you are too hurt to move, you will only hurt yourself. We are taking break, end of discussion."

Jaune slumped to the ground, taking gulps of air. Leon's training was nothing like what he had done with his father, older sister, or by himself. He could feel his whole body to ache, pain from exhaustion and bruises combining in one overwhelming sensation. When Leon announced that now, almost two months after they started travelling together, it was time to start training seriously, Jaune was excited. Now, after about half an hour of constant beatdown - less so.

 _Oh well, I knew that I couldn't afford to take it easy._

"Hey, Jaune…"

The blond looked up at his teacher.

"About dinner…"

Jaune smirked.

"Just give me a few moments to catch my breath."

Leon nodded and started preparing the campfire, humming some melody. Jaune shook his head with a smile, recalling the first time they camped together, and had to prepare their own food.

-/-

"What the hell is this?!" Jaune screamed, looking with utter disgust into his bowl.

His teacher looked up from his own and shugged.

"Food."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"No, no, no, no, this 'he pointed at his bowl,"is not food. This is abomination, calling it food is insult to every cook in all of Remnant!"

"Really?" Leon put another spoon full of the _thing_ from his bowl inside his mouth and swallowed. Jaune barely stopped himself from vomiting.

"I think it turned out pretty good today."

All Jaune could do to was to stare.

"This is not good. It's utterly terrible." He stated finally. Jaune winced at Leon's hurt expression.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it. And if you think you can do better, you are welcome to try."

"You bet I can. And I will."

-/-

 _Next day_

Jaune put down his bowl and let out a content sigh. The rabbit stew turned out pretty well. He probably wouldn't put it on his family's table, but considering what he had to work with, he was quite pleased with the outcome.

Jaune looked up at his teacher, who was holding a bowl of terrible abomination that he called food. He was eating it slowly, only from time to time glancing up at him.

He filled another bowl, and considered it for a second.

The blond boy briefly considered finishing it himself, but discarded the idea. He would be traveling with Leon for a long time, it was best to start building the friendship as soon as possible.

 _Besides, he offered to train my useless ass so I can be Hunter,and didn't even asked for any payment. The least I can do is offer him some decent food._

"Wanna try it?" He asked, extending his bowl to Leon.

The older man looked up, genuinely surprised.

"You… I…"

He carefully extended his hand, taking the offered bowl. He was eating slowly, mulling every potion in his mouth far longer than necessary, before swallowing.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Jaune, a bit worried.

Leon looked up at him and shook his head.

"No, its good. Very good. I don't think I ever eaten something this good."

He paused for a moment, staring at his bowl, then looked up at June, an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's just that… I don't remember when was last time someone gave me food like that. It's… nice."

* * *

Jaune shook his head, and took taste of stew. It was rabbit today - just like that day. The blond boy smiled. There were still a lot of things he had to learn, both about, and from his teacher. Even now he wasn't sure why sharing food was such a big of a deal for Leon. But hey, man liked his cooking, and Jaune liked to cook. So at least he had something to offer, instead of just being dead weight.

* * *

 **And here it is. A bit of character development for Leon, and the beginning of serious training for Jaune. I think it's high time I show at least parts of it, so this will be a theme for few following omakes. Just a quick note - they will not necessary be in chronological order.**


	15. Fear and Trust

**Welcome to Ch14 of TPA. As always, JJD made sure its readable.**

* * *

"Ok, so what did we learn? Yang?" Asked Ruby. It was late at night, and her team and JNPR gathered in team RWBY's dorm room. Well, the latter was without their leader - for obvious reasons.

"Nothing much. The police are very tight lipped about this. According to my sources, the number of reported victims match what they actually found, and they were all young girls just like reported. The only new thing I learned was that they hired a few Hunters to assist with the investigation. Apparently it was someone from Beacon last week, and now they've hired a few others."

"Blake?"

The black haired girl sighed.

"Same here. The web is full of conspiracy theories, every new one more crazy than the last. Because of this, there are tons of fake photos and videos. I only found two interesting things. One was post by someone who supposedly is an assistant of the coroner doing the autopsies of the victims. According to him, none of the victims had any sign of injury, so they suspect some kind of poison was used. But so far they haven't been able to confirm it."

She pulled out her scroll, browsing something for a few moments.

"The other thing I found was this." She said, placing it on table for everyone to see. It showed a map of Vale with several spots marked by an X and numbers from one to six next to each.

"The marks show where the victims were found, the numbers next to them - the day on which they were murdered. The ones with asterisks next to them indicates that corpse might have been from the previous day."

Everyone in the room looked at the map for a few moments.

"They are all over the place." Pyrrha noted.

"Yes. There is no way a single person could have traveled to all these places on their own."

Ren hummed.

"Maybe not impossible, but certainly very hard. Especially considering such a person wouldn't want to gather attention. I guess that makes the poison theory more plausible. If a slow acting one was used, the murderer could have applied it to several victims, and wouldn't have to stay close as it took effect."

"But why? What could anyone achieve be doing something like that?" Asked Ruby.

"There could be multiple reasons. An argument between lovers, money, jealousy, or they saw something they shouldn't and someone decided to silence them." Answered Blake.

Nora shook her head.

"None of that really fits. Most of the victims didn't know each other, had different backgrounds, went to different schools, and so on. Hell, two of them weren't even living in Vale - they were just visiting family."

"So either there is some kind of connection we don't know about, or the murderer is a psychopath." Said Ren.

There were a few moments of silence, where everyone was absorbing everything. The first one to speak up was Yang.

"So.. what did you learn Weiss? Any similarities between these murders and the ones in Atlas?"

"Yes, quite a few actually. Similar to this case, all the victims were young girls, between the ages of thirteen and seventeen. There were a few cases of the victims knowing each other, but there were little to no common traits shared between all of them. Similar to this case, the police weren't able to determine the cause of death, but they too suggested poison. If there was one big difference, it was that in Atlas murders seemed to be more… organized."

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Organized?"

"Yes. That killing spree lasted for three weeks. Everyday, exactly two girls were killed. The first victims found where the daughters of the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in Atlas. From there killer seems to work down the social ladder. The last victims found where two orphans from an orphanage in one of the poorest parts of Atlas. Though the police officer I talked with suggested there might have been more victims among the homeless that simply weren't found."

"I see…" Ren nodded a few times, then looked up at the heiress.

"So, how does Jaune fit into all of this?"

Weiss let out a sigh and looked over the people gathered in the room.

"He and his teacher came to Atlas around one week after the murders started. I don't know if they were investigating them on their own, were working with the police, or their presence was just a coincidence. All I know was that they would often disappear in the city, and more often than not, they were back very late, and very tired. They left Atlas the same day the last victims were found, but long before the public announcement was made."

"Ok, let's recap what we know." Said Ruby, clapping her hands together.

"So, we have two murders cases, One from Atlas from around six months ago, and one happening now in Vale. In both cases all the victims were young girls, and there is little to no connections between them. In both cases the police had trouble identifying the cause of death, it was suggested poison might have been used. Based on all of this, I think we can assume that in both cases the killer is the same person."

"Unless the one from Atlas was caught." Said Blake, looking towards the heiress.

Weiss shook her head.

"I don't remember hearing anything about the one responsible being caught. And I'm sure it would be made public."

"In that case, I think It's safe to assume we are dealing with the same person."

"So now onto the next topic: what does Jaune have to do with all of this?" Asked Ruby.

Nora cleared her throat, and started counting off.

"Well, we know he was in Atlas during the first killing spree and left at the same time it ended. We also know he started to take odd jobs in Vale at the same time the murders started. And we know the police hired a Huntsman for help in this investigation - and someone from Beacon at that."

"It doesn't have to mean he was involved in any of this. It could be a coincidence." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Yes, but he did say that this was supposed to be a short job but it started to drag on. And that some additional help was hired this weekend. This would fit with what Junior said." Ren countered.

"It could also explain why he is so secretive about all of this. If he is working with the police, it would make sense he can't share details about his job." Blake added.

"I guess it makes sense..."

"By the way, what is he doing now?" Asked Ruby.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not sure. But the localizator on his scroll indicates he is still in Beacon."

* * *

Jaune paused before one particular doors\, and looked around. The corridor was empty, not a soul around. Confirming that the coast was clear, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Hey, Peter can I come in?"

To most students' surprised delight, today's Grimm Studies class was canceled. Jaune was not surprised by that. Considering how bad his arm got corrupted, the older Witcher had to be in an even worse state. It was a given that he needed rest.

Jaune waited patiently in front of the door, even when he didn't receive a response.

 _Is he sleeping already? It's not that late, but maybe he is just tired._

Just as he made to leave, the doors cracked open.

"Come in." A hoarse voice spoke.

Jaune did just that, and entered the dark room. He closed the doors behind himself, and took a closer look at his teacher.

Peter Port didn't look good. His right arm was hanging freely at his side, the old Hunter obviously not having enough strength to move it. His neck, and parts of the right side of his face were blackened, thankfully without red veins. His right eye had slightly reddish hue to it - though this might have just been Jaune's imagination.

Peter turned around, and started walking deeper into the room, signaling for Jaune to follow. He was cleary limping with his right leg, and had to support himself on the wall.

 _Damn, this is worse than I thought._

Jaune wanted to say something, but noticed Peter stagger. He hurried to support the older man, and sat him in a nearby chair.

"Damn it Peter, you overdid it. Should have let me handle more of them on Saturday."

"Nonsense my boy. It's us old-timers duty to lessen the burden on you youngsters. Besides, I can afford to take a longer break, someone can always fill in for me. But you have classes to attend."

"Yeah, but…"

"No 'buts'. Anyway, what brings you here? I somehow doubt you come just to visit this old man."

Jaune smiled.

"Well partially, yes. I also brought some painkillers."

Peter managed to laugh a little.

"Thank you my boy. I already have some from our infirmary, but the herbal ones taste better. And are easier on the stomach, I hear. Well, this reminds me of this one time in Vacuo.." The older man paused and looked at Jaune.

"But I guess you're not here to listen to my stories. For real this time, what brings you to me Jaune?"

The blond boy let out a tired sigh, and sat on the sofa opposite of Peter.

"It's these murders. I… Did you heard about Atlas Massacre? From around six months ago?"

Peter nodded.

"Of course I did. When news hit about Harrowed spawning, and that the Atlas police was forming a Witcher team to deal with them, I was planning on going myself. Sadly, I was preoccupied with other tasks. Why do you ask?"

"I was part of that team. Well, technically Leon was, I was just tagging along. The point is… I didn't really get time to think about it earlier, with how busy I was, but now that I sat down and really gave it some thought... These two cases look kinda similar. But also… I don't know.."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, eyes locked on his own feet.

"Similar to this case, the victims in Atlas were all young girls too. At least, I think they were."

"You think?"

Jaune rested his head on his hands, remaining silent for a few moments.

"Back in Atlas, it was a lot more… messy." He paused again for a few moments, then looked up at the older hunter.

"Peter, what would you say about victims this time? How they looked I mean?"

Port looked surprised at question. He hummed, stroking his chin.

"I would say… they looked normal. They were in as good a shape as a corpse can be. No external wounds, no profanation, nothing that would indicate they were in pan before death. They looked almost…" he paused for a few moments looking for the right word.

"Peaceful?" Jaune offered.

"Yes, I would say so."

After that, a silence fell between two men. Jaune looked lost in thought, his head hung low, while Peter watched him carefully. They just sat there, with pale moonlight as only thing brightening the dark room.

"Jaune?" The older Hunter asked when silence stretched for a few minutes.

"They were twisted Peter." The blond looked up at his companion. "The corpses. They were twisted beyond recognition. At least the first ones. We…" his voice hitched. Jaune swallowed and continued. "The first pair we found… we didn't even recognize that they were humans at first. They were just that twisted. Someone spotted a wristwatch that belonged to one of victims attached to one of these.. _things._ And that's how we knew."

Jaune paused again. They just sat there, in the dark, quiet room. Him staring at his feet, Peter staring at him.

"It was… I knew people can be monsters, but this..." Jaune took a deep, shuddering breath.

"And the Harrowed were different too. We had a few Ghouls, one or two Aberrations, and the rest were Wraiths. But they were all different. It was a total mess." He paused again. This time Peter remained silent too, waiting for the young man to speak on his own. When Jaune did so, his voice was quiet, very quiet.

"Near the end, we found a few of his hideouts Peter. There were cages in there. And cells. What we found in them…"Jaune took deep stuttering breath. He was visibly shaking.

"Some of them had Harrowed. Ghouls and wraiths. But a few had bodies. They looked like they stopped halfway between Ghoul and human. One team found some notes." The blond looked up at his teacher.

"He was doing it on purpose, Peter. These Harrowed… They didn't spawn as side-effect of him torturing people. He _wanted_ them to spawn. The whole thing, all these murders, it was all some sick experiment."

"Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"You keep saying 'he'. From what I heard, the murderer's identity was never confirmed. Was that just the official story?"

"No, we…" Jaune paused and let out a tired sigh before continuing. "It wasn't a coincidence that me and Leon showed up in Atlas at that time. We were tracking this guy for a few months already. I… I once killed one of his 'experiments.' It was about year ago, not long since I made my Witcher sword. We took an escort job for some caravan, nothing big. It was going well, but we had to change route because the passage we were supposed to use was blocked by an avalanche. Leon sent me ahead, to inform people in the village we were heading to about our situation."

He paused, recalling old events. Eventually, he shook his head and continued.

"I overheard people talking about some monster appearing in the nearby woods. Apparently, some girl was killed there, and now people were seeing her ghost. A very violent ghost. I talked with a few towns folk, and figured out it was a Fire Wraith. Since it was still a few days before Leon would make it to town, I decided to go and take it out myself." Jaune paused again, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"It was the first time I killed a Harrowed without Leon. When he learned about it, for a few days after, he couldn't decide whether to praise me for a job well done, or scold me for taking unnecessary risk."

"A few months later, we were coming through the same village again. It was then that I met him. I went to check on the girl's grave, to make sure there were no complications. He was standing there, staring at the gravestone. At first I thought he was someone from the family, there to pay respect. We talked a bit. I remember thinking that he was a nice guy."

Jaune chuckled bitterly.

"Funny, how easily they can blend in, isn't it? I was standing, _talking_ , with a monster far worse than any Harrowed or Grimm I've ever encountered, and I had no idea. I found out two days later. I saw him doing… _something_ , to some other girl. I managed to stop him before it was too late, but he got away."

"Did you see his face? Could you provide a description?" Peter asked when it is clear the blond was done talking.

Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"That's the funny part, you know? I did see his face. He was wearing a travelers robe, the long kind, with a hood, but when we talked, and then when I saw him trying to kill the other girl, his hood was down. But I can't describe it. I remember so many details from the second encounter. If I close my eyes, I see this scene as clearly as if I was there again. But I can't describe the bastard's face. It's not even that I don't remember it, it's just that the only word that comes to mind when I think about it, is 'normal'. I know I'll recognize him if I see him, but right now? You could show me any male, and I could say he looks similar to that guy."

"I see." Said Peter. The settled into silence again, each lost in his own thoughts.

"Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking - how did the case in Atlas end? I heard some mixed reports."

"Remember when I told you that we found notes in one of the hideouts we busted?" Peter nodded.

"Well, it was more of a journal. Anyway, the police took them to have a look, they sent them to the Atlas military. They put a special team together to analyze every bit of information regarding the murders."

"Oh? That's a surprising amount of resources put into one investigation."

"Yeah, it turned out one of victims was good friends with the daughter of a high-ranking officer. Guy was apparently on good terms with several important people, and he was doing whatever he could to help find the killer. Anyway, they eventually figured something out, and made several teams stand around city on lookout. It paid off - one of the groups spotted someone suspicious, and they tailed him until they reached some abandoned warehouse. When they busted in, they found a hidden passage underground leading to the freakin lab. A fight broke out, there were a few explosions, and whole thing went up in flames. Everyone on that team made it out alive, and they sealed it up."

"You weren't there?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No. I was in bad shape back then, Leon made me sit this one out. Anyway, they managed to put together an investigation team, and sent them down there, but not much was left. They never found the body, but assumed it just incinerated."

"And you don't believe this?"

"I…I don't know. It's just that..." Jaune paused for a moment, then looked the older man in the eyes.

"I'm scared Peter. Terrified. Back then, when we first met. When he learned it was me who killed the Harrowed, he went mad. He acted as if I killed his family. He was calling me monster, murderer, and so on. At the end, when he was fleeing, he said he will 'make me suffer as much as I made him.' And I believed him. I still do."

"Back in Atlas, when Leon told me what happened at the end, I went there, to take a look at the place myself. I thought that maybe if I see it with my own eyes, I'll believe he's gone. But it didn't work. I still have nightmares. Most of them about what happened in Atlas, but sometimes I dream about what would happen if I was late back then, in the forest. And I'm scared. Scared that one day, it would be someone I cherish that I will have to release. My family, my friends. My team." He was shaking now, his hands clenched together so hard his Aura flared, protecting them from harm.

"I'm scared to tell them, because it might push them to try and find this guy themselves. And they might get hurt. I'm scared of keeping them in the dark, because this might leave them unprepared for when he comes. I'm just...scared."

Peter Port spent a few moments just looking at his student. He hated it. He hated it when people so young had to deal with things like this.

He hated fact that the only thing he could do for him was to offer advice.

"Do you trust them?"

Jaune looked up, surprised.

"Do you trust your team?" Peter repeated his question.

"Well, yeah. We known each other for only three weeks, but they all seem like great people."

"Would you trust them to have your back in a fight?"

"Of course. We fought together at initiation. I know it might be stupid, but…"

"Then hold onto that trust Jaune. Your team is there to have your back. You can't protect them by pushing them away, it will only harm the trust you have for each other."

"But... it's my problem. They have nothing to do with it. I can't just drag them into this."

Peter laughed.

"Nonsense my boy. It stopped being only your problem the moment when someone started to care about you. Which meant it was never only your problem."

"But, I can't…"

"You can, and you should Jaune. Think about it for a moment. If you try to deal with it on your own, and get hurt in the process, do you think they would thank you? Or will they be upset that you didn't trust them enough to let them have your back?"

Jaune sighed. The answer was obvious.

"By keeping them in the dark, you will just make them worry more. They might even end up doing something reckless out of concern. Something that will get them hurt, and you will not be there to help them, because you kept an unnecessary distance."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"I guess you are right…"

"One more thing. I assume you didn't share any details about your work with them?"

"Of course not! It.."

"You should tell them."

"What!? But the contract…"

Peter sighed.

"I'm not saying to tell them every little detail. Just informing them that you work with the police as support on murder cases would be enough. Because if you don't say a thing, they will start to wonder, and worry. They will piece together what little info they have, and make assumptions - most of them probably wrong. And next thing you know, you wake up in some run down motel on the outskirts of Vale, naked, with new tattoo, goat in your bed, and your team preparing an intervention for you, because they think you are a drug dealer."

Jaune blinked a few times.

"What?"

Peter coughed and looked to the side.

"That is a story for another time. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to be so strict about this secrecy clause. Sure, they will worry if they know that you are doing something dangerous, and they can't be there to help, but they will worry much more when they realize you are doing something dangerous, but don't know _how_ dangerous it is, and why you don't bring them with you."

After Peter finished talking, both men again fell silent. Jaune lost in thought, with his head hung low as the older Hunter watched him. Eventually Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for the talk Peter, it really helped me out."

"Ha! No need to thank me. I'm your teacher after all, it's my job to help my students."

Jaune smiled and got up.

"Well, I better get going. You need anything, before I go?"

"No, our school nurse should be coming along shortly."

"Then I wish you good night, Peter."

"You too, Jaune."

* * *

 **And that wraps it up. Chapter shorter than usual, but its main purpose was as set up for what will be happening next.**

 **Also, there were guest reviews that asked why teams RWBY and NPR are so insistent on learning what is Jaune doing, when it is none of they business. Well, it kinda is, at least for JNPR. They are a team, in what is essentially a combat school. If one member of the team is not at his/her 100% it will affect the whole team. It's doubly true for Jaune, who is also team leader. Since he's the one who is supposed to make decisions, he should do what he can to be at his best - both mentally and physically.**

 **As for team RWBY - they are simply concerned about a friend.**

 **JJD: What my boy said. You're allowed to have secrets until it threatens team effectiveness, then we're going to have a chat. If anything, Pyrrha should be telling him what's up and confronting him about it more directly, but you know...they're kids. They'll learn.**

 **And here is this week omake. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Learning with Leon.**

"Dodge."

Jaune tried to do just that. He almost made it. Almost.

Leon's practice sword caught him in the shoulder. Jaune winced in pain, and tried to slam his shield into his teacher's face. Leon jumped back, as expected, but it did give Jaune a bit of breathing room. The blond raised his shield and eyed his opponent.

Leon was standing in what one could describe as a lazy stance. Legs slightly bent, left foot forward, and sword held low, with tip pointing towards ground. It looked as if older man was taunting his opponent, lowering his guard like that.

Once upon a time Jaune might have tried to take advantage of this opening. But now, after four months traveling with Leon, and over a month of intense sword training? He knew better than to take the bait.

By now he had some idea of how fast Leon was. Honestly, Jaune could barely follow his teacher's sword, and he was fairly sure the older man was holding back.

 _Well, that is to be expected. He's been fighting for years, I've only been at it for three and a half months._

Jaune sighed and focused back on trying to figure out how to land a single hit on his teacher. He long since abandoned any hope of winning - that would happen only if Leon let him. Landing one hit though -that should be possible. Eventually.

 _Now, what do I do? This is obviously bait, he leaves his upper body open to make me attack it, and follow up with a counter. But how…_

His thoughts came to end when Leon dashed towards him, sword already mid-swing. Jaune cursed, caught it on his shield, and tried to counter with a slash on his own. Leon managed to bring his own weapon back in time to deflect it, and countered with a stab.

The wooden blade collided with the steel shield, and the blond boy threw a stab on his own. It was swatted aside, and Jaune raised his shield to block follow up attack. But instead of a sword, his shield caught Leon's boot. The kick wasn't strong enough to send the blond boy flying, but it was strong enough to stagger him, and break his stance.

Jaune barely managed to deflect the follow up strike, but yet another kick sent him to the ground. He used the momentum to roll back and jumped to his feet, and then jump back a few times for good measure.

Leon looked up at him, his sword raised in preparation to stab at the spot where Jaune would have stopped otherwise.

"Good call." The Hunter said with a nod.

The blond boy managed weak smile.

"Thanks. Even I learn after I get hit by the same move over and over again."

Leon tilted his head to the side, and looked like he wanted to say something. But eventually he just shrugged, and took his stance. Jaune did the same.

 _Well, I'm at my limit here. It looks like today's not the day I will be able to hit him._

He took a moment to analyze Leon's stance.

 _Right foot forward, balde held low and pointing behind and downwards. Yep, another bit of bait._

Jaune sighed. He really wished his teacher at least pretended he was taking this seriously. He knew full well there is huge gap in skill between them, but it still hurt when Leon was showing off like that.

 _Oh well, it's not like this matters. I might as well try and just charge in. It can't get any worse than all of my previous attempts._

Just before he moved, an idea struck him. He was exhausted, frustrated and hurting all over. There was no way for him to close the distance so fast that Leon would not be able to react in time. And his teacher knew all of that. So why not try to do a little baiting himself?

Jaune took deep breath, and with a roar charged at Leon. The older man just bent his knees a little more, and tightened his grip on his sword.

This had happened many times before. Jaune, frustrated with how easily he'd been beaten, would make a slow, reckless, and predictable charge, that Leon would counter easily.

But this time Jaune had a plan. He didn't try to charge at full speed -not that it changed much from Leon's perspective. But it allowed Jaune to backstep just in time to avoid upward slash, and then step in with a diagonal slash towards his teacher chest.

Jaune grinned. There was no time for Leon to step out of his reach. His sword was knocked aside, and even though Jaune noticed his teacher's arms moving to bring it down on him. With both of them starting their swings at roughly the same time, Jaune was sure he had the advantage since his sword was lighter - and that mean it was also faster, right?

He was proven wrong when the wooden longsword slammed into his wrist, causing him to drop his own weapon with a pained yelp. Before the blond could even think about what to do, the practice weapon blade pressed at his neck.

Jaune let out a sigh of both pain and frustration.

"I yield." He said

"Not a bad fight. You are getting better." Leon nodded, pulling his sword back.

"I guess. Now you almost have to try to beat my ass." He joked bitterly.

Leon tilted his head to the side, and considered his student for a moment. Jaune knew this look - his teacher often watched him like that after their spar ended, as if he was judging him. It always put Jaune on edge. Each time it happened he expected Leon to just state that he was done with teaching him, that he simply was not cut off for this. It never happened - in fact, his teacher usually didn't say a thing. But it didn't mean that it wouldn't happen eventually.

With another sigh, Jaune turned towards the camp, already thinking about what to do for a dinner. They still had some meat from the deer Leon hunted down last night, and a few eggs they found today.

"What did you expected?"

The sudden question made Jaune to pause, and look back to Leon.

Hsi teacher was still observing him, the same way he always did.

"What did you expect when you decided to come with me? That you would turn out to be good at something you have little to no practice with? That I'll make you best fighter in the world in a matter of weeks?"

Leon walked up to Jaune and looked him in the eyes.

"These things take time Jaune. You are behind everyone else, and you need time to catch up."

"I know!" The blond snapped. He was panting now, from both anger and frustration. He took a moment to calm himself down, head hung low.

"I know I'm bad at it. I know I need to work harder than anyone to catch up. It's just… frustrating." He said, his voice quiet now.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up into Leon's eyes.

"I know Jaune. But trust me - you can do it. You _are_ doing it. Your skills might not be on par with the average Combat prep school student your age, but you are fairly strong, and have good stamina. Your defense is quite good, and you are a quick thinker. So don't be so hard on yourself."

Jaune couldn't help but smile. He hadn't known him for long, but he and Leon got along pretty well in those four months. There was still a lot of things he didn't know about his teacher, but one thing was certain - he was not one for empty words. This was one of the reasons his praises always managed to lift Jaune's spirit. He knew they were genuine.

"Anyway, what's for dinner?" Leon asked.

Jaune laughed. How a grown up man could pull off puppy eyes almost as well as his younger sisters, he had no idea.

"I think I'll make scrambled eggs with some deer meat."

Leon's face split into a wide grin, and he hurried up to prepare a campfire. Jaune just shook his head.

 _Well, I guess there is no point in getting frustrated over facts. I just have to work hard. Mom always said that key to success is patience._

"Hey, Leon?"

His teacher looked up from the pile of wood he was trying to set on fire.

"What is with this stances you take? When you hold your sword high above your head, or very low, with the blade pointing downwards, or behind you. I know they are just baits, but you said to never show off, and…" he trailed off, not sure how to finish. Leon did it for him.

"You think I just mock you by taking a 'cool' stance, just to show that you can't touch me even if I show off?"

Jaune blushed, and laughed nervously. Like always, Leon read him perfectly.

"Listen Jaune. Sword stances are not just for show, they are not meant to make you look cool. Though it is nice side-benefit. They are meant to open up some angles for attacks for you, and close some for your opponent. And in a real fight, you usually change between them all the time. It's not like in games, when you take x stance and you get plus ten to attack, and minus five to defense."

Jaune laughed and nodded.

He made to ask another question, but a loud rumbling made him pause. Both him and Leon looked down to their stomachs, and then back to each other.

"How about we leave this talk for later, and focus on getting food ready for now?" His teacher suggested.

"Sure thing." Jaune answered with a smile. There would be time to learn all of this later. But now? Now it was time for him to put years of cooking practice into good use.

* * *

 **Here it is. Jaune continues his training, and learns about the importance of proper stance. Jaune's question here -'what is the point of stances?' - is something I get a lot when talking with people not familiar with proper sword fighting. Most people think they are there just to look cool, and that the only 'proper' one is when you hold sword in front of your body, in slightly bent hands.**

 **Well, this particular stance is good for defending, but is very limited when it comes to attacking - the only good offensive move you can make from here is a thrust. Every other attack would require you to switch to another stance.**

 **And here is another point. You usually don't spend too much time standing in a single stance - you switch them all the time. Most of them feel very natural, and are easy to switch between - once you learn them properly.**

 **And lastly, I would like to discuss two stances Leon presented in this omake. First two terms you might have seen me using before, that I would like to clarify:**

 **1)Weapon hand - refers to your dominant hand. So if you are right-handed, your right hand is your weapon hand, even if you are using a two-handed weapon.**

 **2) Weapon Leg (or arms legs) - leg on the same side of the body that person's weapon arm. So for most people - the right one.**

 **Now onto stances.**

 **First one: either leg can be forward. Sword is held very low, usually between the legs, sometime to the side, with tip pointing towards the ground at around a 45 degree. This stance (or guard, as they are sometimes called) is called Fool's Stance, and is basically a trap. It leaves most of the body exposed, however you can very easily step out of the way of incoming attacks and counter, either towards the body, or their hands.**

 **Second one : Arm leg is back, sword is held low, to the side, with tip pointing behind the wielder and towards ground. Blade is pointing towards opponent. This one's called 'near ward', or 'tail,' and, much as previous one, is a baiting stance. It looks like you are open, but it allows for an easy counter, and throwing very powerful attacks at several angles.**

 **Both of these guards are also considered 'resting stances' - since your arms are held low, they don't tire as fast as in higher guards.**

 **Well, that wraps it up for this week. See you guys next Monday.**

 **JJD: Much as Jaune learns, the secret to success is: Show up Watch and Learn Drill Fight Good Guys Get Ass Kicked Sulk Eat Banana Get Over It Repeat Cycle Until Bad Motherfucker**


	16. The Hunt Begins

**Welcome to ch 15. Edited as always by JJD.**

* * *

 **Ch 15**

Two men stood in small, dim room. They were wearing long lab coats - one was pale green, the other white, and both covered in multiple, fresh stains. Neither of the men seemed to care though - both were fully focused on the table in front of them. There, on a specially prepared burner, stood three large beakers, each containing leaves and berries of various plants. Copper tubes connected every beaker to another, smaller one, which in turn was connected to various other beakers, flasks, distillation adapters, funnels, and other laboratory glassware.

At the end stood three round bottomed flasks, collecting the distilled form of whatever was boiling in three largest bakers. Each was filled with a differently colored, muddy liquid - green, red, and brown so dark it looked black.

Both men looked at each other, and nodded. The one with the pale green coat walked to the corner of the room, where simple shelves with held more laboratory glassware on them stood. He picked up one flask, and, after a moment of thought, two more.

The other man turned off the burners, waited a moment to let any remaining liquid drain out of the tubes, and then took all three flasks and moved to the other, smaller table. He accepted the flask from his collegue, filled it to about one fourth full with some transparent liquid, and then added green substance, filling flask to about halfway. Then, he closed it, and attached three tubes to the plug. One connected the flask to small distillation aperture. The other two were connected to the remaining flask.

Those were hung on metal support rack upside-down, allowing brown and red liquid to slowly drip down into the larger flask.

Satisfied with his work, he activated the burner and leaned on the wall, waiting.

After around twenty minutes, the distillation was complete. The beaker standing on the other end of the aperture was filled with a clear, dark-green liquid. Both men observed it for a moment, then looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

It looked like they had succeed. It's wasn't that it was a particularly hard procedure, but it was always nice to get it right on the first try. It wouldn't do to keep their companions waiting, would it?

The man in white coat carefully took a beaker out of aperture, and poured its content into two flasks. Then he turned to the only other occupants of the room.

The two young girls wore casual clothing, and were watching the two men's work with curiosity. They accepted the offered beakers, and after just a second of hesitation, took big gulps of whatever was inside.

Two startled gasps sounded in the room. Both girls looked at what they just drank with wide eyes.

"That…" One started.

"Is SO GOOD!" Nora shouted, jumping to her feet and squeezing Ren in a one-arm hug.

"Renny, we need to make more of this stuff! We can brand it, and sell it, and we will be rich, and then we could buy a big castle, fill it with sloths, and eat pancakes for the rest of our lives!" She exclaimed, finishing her drink, and throwing her glass away.

Pyrrha managed to catch it, and chuckled at her team's antics.

"I must agree with Nora. This is really good."

Jaune smiled, sitting next to his partner.

"Glad you liked it. So you on board with castle full of sloths too?"

She laughed.

"I think I'll pass on that one. How about you? Will you stay to serve our Pancake Queen as her knight?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure she would prefer Ren for her personal knight. Besides, settling down like that is not for me. I'm more of a traveler type."

"Oh? But you can't travel all the time. You need to settle down eventually."

"Perhaps, one day. But it won't be anytime soon. It's bad enough I'll have to sit in one place for a whole four years."

After that exchange, they just sat in silence, observing as Nora spun around with Ren still held firmly in her hug, making bolder, and bolder plans for the future. They resident ninja took it all with his usual stoic expression.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

Pyrrha raised her, now empty, flask.

"Why are we drinking from this? I'm pretty sure we have normal glasses somewhere."

Jaune hummed.

"It's cooler that way?"

Pyrrha chuckled and shook her head.

"By the way… this isn't anything alcoholic, right?"

The blond gasped in mock shock.

"Pyrrha! You think I would try to get two ladies drunk? How could you even suggest something like that!"

"I'm sorry! I will never doubt you like that again!" She mock-cried.

Jaune huffed.

"You better see to it that you don't. Otherwise I would need to take some disciplinary actions."

"Won't there be any disciplinary actions for you and Ren stealing school equipment?" She teased, gesturing at various laboratory equipment now stored in the room.

"Hey! We didn't steal anything, we just borrowed it. And Beacon regulations clearly state that every student has the right to use all schools equipment for studying purposes. Well, me and Ren are studying herbalism, and we needed laboratory equipment. So we helped ourselves to some. It was mostly gathering dust anyway."

Pyrrha raised a single eyebrow.

"And does anyone from the staff know about this?"

"Peter." Was Jaune's instant reply.

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Yeah, I should have figured. What's happening with him anyway? I haven't seen him the whole week."

"He overworked himself. He should be back on his feet next week."

"I see."

Pyrrha let out a content sigh. It was a nice Friday afternoon. Classes end early, she got to thrash on Cardin's cronies in combat class, and her partner didn't look like he was about to run off to do some shady job.

 _Well, not so shady, I guess._ She thought, recalling what happened earlier in the week.

Last Wednesday Jaune gathered both teams and explained what he was up to for last week. True to their suspicions, he was working with the police. He explained the reason Hunters were hired, was because there was a suspicion that killer was an Aura user. He couldn't tell if this was the same killer from Atlas - though if his expression when they asked was anything to go by, he hoped that was not the case.

There were no more murders - at least none that were reported, and judging by the fact Jaune stopped going out late at night, Pyrrha hoped that things would return to normal.

After Nora finally calmed down, they decided to go grab something to eat, and then do their homework. They were joined by team RWBY along the way, and as usual they sat together, chatting and joking.

Pyrrha tensed a little when she heard Jaune's scroll ringing, but had to stifle laughter at her partner's expression. He was staring at device like it suddenly turned into a Deathstalker. After a moment, he opened it up with heavy sigh - and then immediately smiled.

"Hey Tob, what's up?" He greeted.

Pyrrha smiled. From the few talks they had over the past three weeks, she knew this Tob was someone very important to Jaune - family, or maybe a close friend. She returned to her meal, half listening to the conversation at table. It was so peaceful, so… normal.

It all shattered with the sound of breaking glass.

Pyrrha turned to source of the sound - her partner, She took notice of his clenched fist, wet with water, and the pieces of glass he shattered lying everywhere. She looked up, mouth already open to ask what happened.

She paused when she saw his face.

Fury. That was only word that could describe his expression. There was hint of fear, and shock, for a fleeting moment, but it all gave way to pure, unadulterated fury.

"Jaune?" Nora reached to touch his arm, cleary worried.

They teamleader either didn't hear, or ignored her. He was sitting there, listening to his scroll, and shaking more and more with every passing moment.

"I'll be right there." He said after what felt like an eternity - but in fact were only a few seconds.

"Jaune, what…" Pyrrha started, but she too went ignored. Jaune got up, and without saying a word, turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria. After just a moment of hesitation, both teams followed him.

* * *

 _It's him. It's really him._

Was only thought running through Jaune head, as he sprinted towards bullhead docks. He was vaguely aware of both RWBY and his own team following him, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to him was the photo he received on his scroll. It wasn't of good quality, and the face of man on it was partially covered by a hood, but it was enough for Jaune to recognize him.

It was the same man. The same person, no, monster, responsible for creating all the Harrowed back in Atlas. The same man that he spent the better part of the last two years chasing around. The same man responsible for murdering that girl in Heartshatter Ridge. And the same man that….

 _No. Stop._

He ordered himself. Recalling that event wouldn't help him any in this situation. He needed to focus.

He made it to the landing docks and started heading to the closest bullhead, fully intending to force the pilot to fly, or even steal the vehicle. Fortunately for both him and pilot, someone called out to him, from very close, and in voice so commanding, that he pause don pure instinct.

"Mr. Arc."

"Headmaster." He said, bowing his head slightly.

Ozpin wasn't smiling, didn't even have his signature coffee mug.

"I take it you were informed of the situation?"

"Yes. At least partially. I was on my way to the meeting point in Vale."

"Before you go, I have to ask. I was made aware that your condition was rather bad after last week. Are you…?"

"I'm fine. Could use week or two more rest, but right now I'm capable of combat, Not at one hundred percent, but I can still take out two or three without much risk."

"I see. Unfortunately Peter is not in any shape to help us, and the situation is serious enough that we need every Witcher we can get ahold of. Now, follow me." Ozpin turned around and started walking, without even looking back to see if Jaune followed him.

"Sir, If I may. The message I received was rather vague. Could you provide any additional details?"

"You will learn everything you need to know on the way. This bullhead." Ozpin said, pointing on the one machine that was already mostly full, and hovering slightly over the ground, ready to take off at any moment." will take you straight to your operating area. There are six Hunters and another Witcher that will act as team lead. All the Hunters on board have some experience in dealing with Harrowed, but lack the proper… equipment to deal with current situation."

"Speaking of equipment..."

"It's already on board."

"I see." They made it to the bullhead, and Jaune nodded to the headmaster. "Then I'll be on my way."

"Good luck. And Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. And don't let your emotions get the better of you."

"I will be. And I won't."

After that, Jaune boarded the bullhead. The aircraft took off before he even had a chance to strap himself in properly.

* * *

"Have you seen him?" Asked Pyrrha, looking frantically around. They lost Jaune pretty quickly in the crowd, which wasn't surprising in itself - there were far more people running around, most of them looked like forth years. The red haired champion briefly wondered what this was about, but dropped such thoughts. That wasn't important right now. Finding Jaune was.

"No, but I'm fairly sure he went towards the bullhead docks." Answered Yang, working hard to push herself through the crowd.

"How can you know?"

"Well, considering the state he was in, I somehow doubt he went to the library to read something."

 _Damn, she is right._ Pyrrha thought.

"I agree. Beside, this crowd seems to be going in that direction. That means there is some kind of trouble, and the dunce is almost certainly a part of it." Said Weiss. She looked worried, perhaps more than any of them. And this made the red haired champion even more uneasy.

The heiress knew her partner from before, and was with him when he was part of the investigation team of the murders in Atlas. And from what she said, and her reaction whenever they brought it up - something must have happened to Jaune back then.

Pyrrha recalled Jaune's reaction to the call he received and shivered. She'd never seen so much hatred on someone's face. Her partner looked like he was ready to murder someone right then and there.

"Damn, what's up with this crowd? Is there some concert in Vale that I don't know about?" Yang growled, when they reached Beacon main door. They were stuck in a glut of people.

She got her answer soon enough, when Glynda Goodwitch's voice flowed from the school's announcement system.

"Attention all students! We have an emergency situation. All first and second years are requested to remain in their rooms. Selected third-and fourth year teams are to report to the bullhead docks. I repeat, all first and second…"

Ruby looked over her friends, cleary worried.

"Emergency situation? What do they mean by emergency situation?"

"According to this site." Said Blake, showing the rest of them her scroll," there was a Grimm attack on a settlement not far from Vale."

"What?!" They all crowded the black haired girl, trying to see her scroll.

"How? When? Are there any casualties?" The questions flowed one after another.

"I don't know. There are a lot of conflicting messages. Some say it's a whole horde, others that only a few slipped through the wall. No one knows anything for sure."

"So that means attack had to happen recently." Said Ren.

Ruby looked around, cleary nervous.

"That makes sense, but how did Jaune learn about it first? He was talking with someone through scroll just before he ran off. You think it might have something to do with the murders?"

Weiss spared a single glance at crowd still blocking door and winced.

"Maybe?" She said, turning back to her partner." If a lot of people were killed in some small settlement, the negativity might have been enough to summon Grimm."

Nora gasped

"Wait, doesn't his family live in some village outside of Vale? You think it might be the same place?"

They looked at each other, expressions grim.

Ren placed hand on Nora's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"That is certainly possible, especially if we take into account his reaction. But let's not jump to conclusions. We should find him, and ask what happened before we decide what to do next."

"But where is he? I can't see him anywhere!" Whined Ruby.

"There!" Shouted Blake, pointing through a window.

Sure enough, they could spot familiar mop of blonde hair. Jaune seemed to push through the crowd, without even noticing the other people. But he suddenly stopped and turned when another figure approached him.

Blake's eyes narrowed when she recognized who it was.

"Is that.. Headmaster Ozpin?"

"Sure looks like it." Said Yang. "And it doesn't look like he is scolding him, or telling him to go back…" she trailed off.

True to her words, after a brief moment, Ozpin started walking towards the bullhead docks, Jaune in tow.

"What was that about? Didn't they say for all first years to stay in the dorms?"

She shook her head and turned towards Pyrrha.

"Hey P.."

Was all she managed to say before realizing that the red haired champion wasn't standing next to her anymore. Instead she opened the window, jumped out, and was now sprinting towards her partner.

Moments later she was joined by Nora, who dragged Ren behind her, and Ruby.

Yang looked over her reaming teammates. They shrugged, and all three girls followed the leader.

* * *

Ozpin sighed and steeled his resolve for what was about to happen. Seven students were running towards him at full speed. They stopped when the bullhead behind him took off. He knew full well why they came here, and what would happen in just a moment.

"Headmaster Ozpin? What is going on?" Asked Ruby Rose. Young, but skilled, and as passionate as her mother. He had no doubt she will become splendid Huntress in time. And that she would give him as much of a headache as her mother during her stay here at Beacon.

"Like I'm sure you've heard, there is a bit of an emergency. The situation is already mostly under control, so it's nothing you should concern yourselves with."

"With all due respect sir, I believe it IS our concern." Said Pyrrha Nikos, earning a few nods of approval from her friends. The usually polite girl hnd a very determined expression on her face.

"Oh? And why do you think so, miss Nikos?"

The red haired girl pointed at the now barely visible bullhead behind him.

"Because our team leader, and my partner is apparently involved in this."

 _I guess, she has a point..._

"Mr. Arc, was included in this operation because he was not only previously involved in the investigation of the person we believe is responsible for the current situation, but also because of his particular set of skills. Like I said, it's not something you should get involved with."

 _And I immediately regret saying that._ He thought

If he was right about the seven people in front of him - and after several centuries he'd gotten rather good at reading people - telling them to not get involved in something would only make them want to get involved even more.

"I understand sir." Lee Ren said, stepping forward. Ozpin smiled.

 _Ah, it's so nice to see a young, but reasonable man._

"But I must agree with Pyrrha. We are a team, and as such, we should stick together. If Jaune is out there, fighting, it's our duty to stand by his side."

Ozpin shook his head.

 _Well, at least he's making good point._

"I understand your concern, but I'm afraid you will not be able to assist mr. Arc with what he is doing."

"Sir.." Ruby began, but was instantly interrupted.

"That is enough" Ozpin said firmly. "I understand, and admire you willingness to stand by your friend's side, even in a dangerous situation. But I'll put it bluntly - if you go out there, you will be just a hindrance. None of you have the knowledge, experience, or equipment necessary to do what mr. Arc is doing. Had you gone with him, you would only be getting in his, and the other hired professionals', way."

Yang huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sir, I don't think anyone here is less skilled that Jaune. Whatever he can handle, we can handle too."

"Perhaps but this is not a situation to test it. And this discussion so over. Return to your rooms. That is not a request." Ozpin said firmly, staring them down.

They looked like they wanted to argue, but eventually relented.

"They will try something, you know that right?" A new voice sounded behind him.

Ozpin smiled and turned to his old friend.

"I know."

"Wouldn't it be better to let them at least observe?"

"Maybe. But this situation is too much of a mess. Sending seven inexperienced, and hot headed students out there could easily lead to trouble."

"Yet you sent mr. Arc. You know this is personal for him."

Ozpin let out a tired sigh.

"I know. But he is also well trained, and…"

"Professional?"

"Yes. I believe he will be able to keep his emotions in check. If for no other reason than because it's his best bet to reach his goal."

There were a few moments of silence between the two men, each lost in his own thoughts.

Oobleck was the one who spoke first.

"But should we really allow him to do it? He is still a child."

"He spent four years in the Wilds. He is child no more my friend. And besides, we have little choice in the matter. We have the means to control his friends. But Jaune? If we try to stop him, I fear he might go as far as leaving Beacon. The Company will offer him all the support he needs to chase this man down. There is a standing bounty on his head after all."

"So the best thing we can do is keep an eye on him, so he won't get into more trouble than necessary?"

"I'm afraid so."

* * *

"So, you are the second Witcher, huh?" Jaune looked at the older man who spoke. He recognized him - he and Leon often worked with him when they visited Atlas.

"Wait, aren't you that kid that hangs around with Leon?"

"The same. But I'm on my own now. Been for over six months."

"Ha, I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Anyway, since I was made leader of you youngsters, I guess I should do some debriefing, or something." He huffed, cleary annoyed, and pulled out out his scroll, checking something for a few moments.

"Ok, listen carefully you newbees. We will be touching down in some shithole not far from Vale."

"Does it have a name?" Asked one of Hunters, a black haired man in his early thirties.

"It has, but no one gives a fuck. It's not important. What is important, is that there is a Harrowed infestation there, one big enough to be a threat to Vale itself." He tapped a few buttons, and his scroll projected a holographic image of their target. It was a rather large village, more of small city.

"We will be touching down near the north gate. There are three other teams, already on the ground, who will start from the other gates. Our mission is to clear all the Harrowed from the city. Not single one of those fuckers can leave and get even close to Vale."

"What are we looking at in terms of threats?"

"At least ten Wraiths, possibly one Aberration. And shitload of Ghouls. According to the latest reports, at least sixty, to seventy percent of the population were turned. No one has any idea how, but it doesn't matter right now. It's not our job to figure it out, but to clean this mess up before it gets any bigger."

"Are there any Grimm in the area?" Asked a very young looking girl, with short, brown hair.

"Not a word about it the in reports, but you can be sure they will appear sooner or later."

He looked over the people gathered in bullhead, then focused on Jaune.

"You kid, I heard you were dealing with Sleepers for the whole week. I assume that means you can see them when they sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Good. So here is how we play this. There are two confirmed Wraiths near our LZ, here and here." He said, pointing to two small houses near the walls. "Once we land and clear any immediate threats, you are to go straight for them.."

Jaune nodded.

"Understood."

The man smiled and nodded back to him. Then he looked over the other people sitting in the bullhead, and sighed.

"Ok, as for you lot - I was told you are not new to this shit, but I'll just say it so we are on the same page. You might be experienced Hunters, but Harrowed are different from Grimm. Do not engage Wraiths on your own, those things are tricky as hell to deal with, and you do not have the equipment to deal with them properly. When fighting Ghouls, focus on crippling them, and let me or this youngster finish the job. Kill them only if you have to, and for the love of everything that you believe in, do not destroy the body. They will just turn into a Wraith, and we will be in even deeper shit. That means no explosives - I am clear?"

"Yes, sir."

He scoffed.

"Yeah sure. One more thing - I know you might be tempted to go and look for survivors. But don't bother. Most people gathered in mayor's house when the outbreak started. Stick together, don't wander off, _especially_ if you hear some strange noises, like crying, or singing. No one could survive on the streets, especially little kids. If you see one - better shoot first, then shoot again, and then call for me or the youngster to make sure it's really dead. If you feel soft, you can make a warning shot, but I wouldn't advise it. Now, get your gear ready, we are touching down in five. " He turned to Jaune, and pulled long, metal container from behind his seat.

"Kid, I believe this is yours."

Jaune took offered case, deactivated the lock, and pulled Eclipse from inside.

"Get ready, we are almost there." Shouted the pilot. Jaune looked through one of the windows and winced. They were flying over the city, and at low altitude at that. He could clearly see multiple dark shapes running through the streets.

And bodies. Lots and lots of bodies.

His fist tightened.

 _Is this his doing? This is on a much bigger scale than anything he's done before. Or maybe we just never found out._

He shook his head. It was no time to overthink things.

T bullhead slowed down, and stopped, around three meters above ground. They all jumped out without hesitation, weapons ready.

Severals Ghouls were already rushing towards them.

"Grimm, forest, five o'clock." Someone shouted.

Jaune spared a quick glance behind him. Sure enough - a pack of around eight Beowolves were walking out of the forest. They were not attacking, but that was bound to change soon.

Their leader spat to the side, pulled a revolver and shot six times, taking down Grimm with every bullet.

"Push to the gate, we will defend there. Clay, Ori, go with youngster, cover him when he's dealing with the Sleepers."

One of the Hunters pulled his own gun, and killed the two remaining Beowolves. Then they ran towards the incoming Ghouls.

It was time to begin the hunt.

* * *

 **Well, this is it. Not much to say here, just that things are getting messy. Jaune obviously has some personal grudge towards our mysterious killer, and his friends still haven't to figure out what he is doing.**

 **By the way, I'm honestly surprised by how most people are reacting to this situation. Saying that Team RWBY and NPR are too nosey, I can still understand (although I don't agree, at least in the case of NPR). But asking for something horrible to happen to them is a bit too much, imo.**

 **Anyway, it was brought to my attention that there is not enough Sam in this story, so I'll try to fix it a bit with this week's omake (Like most Sam omakes, written by JJD). Enjoy:**

* * *

 **Open for Business**

Sam sighed as she looked over the dilapidated entrance to the studio.

 _Well, this is disappointing._

'Pierre's Studio of Dance and the Arts' was supposed to THE premier studio in Vale. The teacher was rumored to be…eccentric, but incredibly talented, a true master of the art.

She shrugged.

 _Might as well try it to go in I guess._

She jiggled the handle on the flimsy wood and glass door and found it locked. She looked up to the 'We're Open for Business' sign on hanging on the other side on the glass.

 _Well, in for a penny…_

A rough shove of her shoulder forced the cheap door open.

The first thing to assault her was the high-pitched whine of the alarm going off in response to her…improvised entrance.

The second thing was the smell. A rank combination of dirty laundry and stale booze.

 _What the hell is wrong with this guy?_

The sound of shifting bottles and stumbling feet reached her ears.

"Wha 'da 'ell?" She heard a voice groan, as it stumbled its way towards the main entrance.

 _Ok girl, this is it, you're about to meet him!_

The man that hobbled into her field of vision was nothing like what she imagined THE Pierre was supposed to be. Pierre was graceful, elegant, and refined.

This man was balding, overweight, and stunk to high heaven.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked.

He blinked in surprise.

"Eye believe dat iz my question."

"This is supposed to be Pierre's dance studio." She pressed.

"Eye know! It's my studio! Ew broke in!" He shot back angrily.

"Sign said you were open." She deadpanned.

He scoffed. "Do ew know 'ow early it iz? No one iz open!"

"It's two in the afternoon."

"So 'at gives ew da right to bust in?"

She placed a hand on her hip and smirked at him. "Yeah, sign said you were open."

He shook his head. "Ew crazie girlie. Wha' do ew want?"

She threw her head back condescendingly. "I WANT you to take a shower, then clean up this pigsty. We've got work to do."

"An wha' gives ew da right to demand anything?"

"I'm your client, your ONLY client, and you're going to teach me to dance."

He shook his head. "Eye don' do 'at anymore. I'll give ew a reference."

She scoffed. "I'm not looking for a reference, I'm looking for THE Pierre. He's supposed to be the best, seen him around?"

He gestured to himself. "Do eye look like da bes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You look like a bum, but as a certain blond has taught me, looks can be deceiving."

He sighed. "Wha' de 'ell do ew want from me? I'm all washed up."

"Pierre the dancer might be, but not Pierre the instructor." She corrected. "I'm going to be a dancer, and you ARE going to help me."

"Who de 'ell are ew?" He asked incredulously.

She placed a hand on her chest. "I am Samantha Birger." She stated proudly.

She walked over to him and poked a finger in his chest, causing him to stumble back.

"You are Pierre Fleur, my dance instructor."

She motioned to the rundown studio.

"This is our dance academy."

She grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.

"And class starts today."

He swallowed. "An wha' makes ew think dat?"

She leaned forward and smirked. "The sign said you were open."


	17. City of the Damned

**Ch 16**

The Ghoul let out a half roar, half screech, before jumping at the human in front of him. This proved to be a mistake, since being airborne prevented it from dodging the black sword that pierced its chest. It jerked a few times, then stilled, its black skin turning pale white.

"You sure you can keep this up? You still have those Wraiths to take out." Jaune looked up at the man who just spoke.

Clay was an older man, around mid-thirties. His weapon was an odd mix between sword and polearm, with around a meter and half handle, and a double edged blade with the same length.

True to their leader's words, he didn't seem fazed at all by the Ghouls, or the way their bodies changed when Jaune purged them. In fact, after crippling a beast, usually removing all their limbs in three quick strikes, he stopped paying any attention to them, trusting Jaune will do his part of the job.

Jaune pulled Eclipse out of a now human corpse, and shrugged.

"Yeah. Ghouls barely have any Aura left in them. Could kill a hundred, and I would be ok."

"If you say so. Just don't overdo it, we can leave these fuckers for others. We need you to take out those Sleepers."

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. Anyway kiddo, aren't you a bit young for a Witcher? You sure you up to the task?" Asked Ori. He was a massive man. Not nearly as big as Tob, but still impressive. He wielded a...thing… that was probably supposed to be a battle axe. Jaune wasn't sure - there was so many mech-shifting elements, and it changed shapes so often it was really hard to tell.

"Old enough. Killed my share of Harrowed too."

"If you say so…" He grunted, catching another Ghoul mid-air by its neck. The beast flailed its limbs trying desperately to reach the human holding it. Its struggle mostly came to an end when he removed both its legs and an arm. Some of creature's blood splashed at him, but the Hunter didn't seem to mind. He tossed the mostly crippled creature behind him.

It landed heavily, spilling more of its blood, bounced off the ground few a times and stopped about half a meter from Jaune. The blond sighed, and walked to the dying beast. The Ghoul tried to lash out with its only remaining arm. Eclipse removed it near the shoulder, before piercing its back, pinning the creature to the ground.

"Anyway, how do you know the old man?"

"Me and my teacher worked with him a few times."

Ori scanned their surroundings, and confirming there were no threats, he turned to Jaune.

"Teacher? I thought you were from Beacon."

Jaune smirked.

"I am now. But I was on the road for the past four years - just me and Leon."

"Oh." The older Hunter shrugged. "Then I guess you know your shit after all. Just do me a favor, and don't fuck up with those Sleepers.. Fuckers creeps me the hell out."

"Really?" Asked Jaune, walking towards the two older men. "Why?"

Ori winced, and took his place at the front of their formation.

"Because you can't kill the fuckers with normal weapons. I chop its head off, and it just reforms. I split the bastard in half, and it just comes back together. And even when I put it down, it comes back after a few months. Freaking creeps."

Jaune snorted.

"Yeah, I'll admit Wraiths are annoying. But you could always make yourself proper weapon to deal with them. It's not like you need a special licence for it." He said, lifting Eclipse for emphasis.

Ori looked back, eyed the black sword as if it was a poisonous snake and the snorted.

"Yeah, no thanks. I saw what that shit does to people. No way in hell I'm carrying something like that around."

Jaune shrugged.

"Whatever you say."

From then they walked in silence. Ori in front, Jaune in the middle, and Clay covering their backs. They would stop from time to time, to check the city map on their scrolls.

"Ok, it looks like this is the place. You ready, kid?" The massive Hunter asked, nodding towards one particular house.

Jaune checked his own scroll, and after confirming it truly was the right place, nodded.

"Sure. You guys try to stay around fifty meters away."

Both Hunters nodded, and took their positions. Clay continued observing the road in the direction they came from. Ori was keeping watch over the Wraith lair, and the other end of street.

Jaune walked towards the building sparing only a few glances around. They cleared most of the Ghouls in this area, and the second group was doing a good job of drawing the attention of those that remained.

He picked two Elixirs from his belt,and drank both. It took a bit longer than usual to stabilize them - but that was to be expected.

When he reached door, he slowly peeked inside. Just because he was certain the area was clear of Ghouls didn't mean he would just rush in like an idiot.

 _Well, I guess I know what happened to the people who lived there._

Jaune through, noticing the half-eaten male body in the middle of the room. There was a second one not far from it, much smaller, and mutilated to the point it was impossible to determine who it was.

 _So father and child died together._

He paused over the larger body, looking it over. There were multiple claw and teeth marks on it, but they weren't too deep, and most of the bones were relatively intact.

 _Whatever killed him had rather small, round claws. Not very sharp. Teeth weren't too big too either. Probably killed by a very young Ghoul._

He rose up, and made to walk further in, but paused. Something wasn't right here. He examined the larger body again, then checked out smaller one. Nothing strange about them - besides the fact that they were dead.

He looked the room over, but nothing caught his attention. Jaune took a few steps back, and looked at the bodies again. Something about them was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

And then it struck him.

 _So the big guy, probably the father, was running with child in his arms. He tripped, or was tripped by something. He drops the child, and rolls on his back to try to either break free, or stall his attacker, so kid can get away. It didn't work out - he either died fast, or there was a second attacker._

Jaune nodded to himself. He could picture this scene easily. The family was spending time together in the living room, perhaps watching TV. Suddenly a Harrowed outbreak starts, and Ghouls break into the house. Parents try to carry their children to safety. The beasts catches the father, who drops the child,and tries to buy time for his family to escape, but more monsters pour in.

Yes, that made sense. There were only two problems.

All the windows Jaune could see were intact. The doors were clearly blown open by force - but from the _inside_. And judging by position of the bodies - they were running _towards_ them, and never made it.

Which left only one option - a Ghoul spawned here, in this house. There were no way that the family living there didn't notice a dead body lying around long enough for a Ghoul to spawn.

 _This doesn't make any sense. How could it spawn in such a small house, without anyone noticing?_

Jaune winced recalling one job from Vacuo.

 _Unless they kept one as a pet._

He shook his head. There was no way they could hide something like that, not with so many people living around. Someone would notice something.

Jaune scoffed, and pierced both bodies with Eclipse, just to make sure they would not be going to be getting up anytime soon.

It didn't take him long to check the first floor of the house, and besides a few bloodstains, and stairs leading up, and one more set leading down, he found nothing.

 _Now, up or down? Sleep Eater is probably in the basement. They prefer dark places,and it's still bright outside._

After some brief consideration, Jaune decided to check out the rest of the house before heading downstairs. Better to make sure he didn't leave any hostiles behind, before what could be a hard fight.

The first thing he noticed when he reached the second floor was the smell. Surprisingly it wasn't blood -though he could make that out too. No, this smell was quite pleasant.

The second thing he noticed, was the open door to one room - and the quiet scraping noise coming from it.

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

 _Ghoul? It should have been drawn out by all the noise we made._

He readied Eclipse, and started slowly making his way towards the open door. Just before he reached it he paused.

 _Now, how should I tackle this one? Burst in and try to overwhelm it, or try to sneak up on it?_

After some brief consideration, and recalling how his last few attempts to sneak up on his prey went, he made his decision.

 _Guess it's time to accept I'm not exactly the sneaky type._

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he burst into the small room.

Surprisingly, first thing he noticed wasn't a hideous beast trying to bite his face off, but the fact that the herbals scent was much stronger here. A quick glance over the room revealed several small scented candles. Most of them went out, but a few were still burning.

The second thing was that the room was small, and in very good condition. Nothing was broken, no claw marks on walls, and no corpses or bloodstains.

Jaune frowned, but didn't let his guard down. He was long past a point when he could believe his senses were playing tricks on him, especially when he enhanced them with an Elixir. If he heard the sound of something scratching a wooden surface coming from this room, then that meant there _was_ something scratching a wooden surface in this room. Or at least he would assume so, until proven otherwise.

He spent a few moments listening, and eventually heard the sound again. It came from one of the corners of the room, where a sizable wooden box stood. Smiling clouds, suns, and various animals were painted on its side in bright colors.

 _It's a bit too big for toy box, unless the kid had very impressive collection._

Slowly making his way towards it, Jaune noticed that there was no lid. Eventually, he made his way close enough to peek inside.

Small.

That is only thought in his head, as he gazed at the Ghoul inside the bed. For it was a bed, one of those high-wall types, meant for small children.

And what was once an infant, probably not even a year old, resided inside. Jaune stared at it for a few moments, watching as it clumsy moved around, scraping at the wooden walls with its tiny claws, sometimes trying to stand up and falling. It eventually noticed him, and started letting out strange noises, something between a growl and a giggle, flailing its tiny arms around.

Jaune took a deep breath, and slowly, to not the damage tiny body more than absolutely necessary, thrust Eclipse through its torso, nearly splitting it in half.

The Ghoul looked down at the black blade that pierced it, then looked back at him, and continued to let out the noise, arms still reaching to him, and moving slightly, even as blood poured from its wound. It took far longer than it should, but eventually its tiny arms fell to the side, its head hung low, and one last, quiet whimper escaped its lips.

Jaune took a deep breath, the subtle herbal scent not doing anything to calm his nerves, quite the opposite. He scowled and put out all of the remaining candles. Then he turned around, and without looking back, he walked out, heading straight to cellar.

There were two female corpses there, one, belonging to a young girl, probably around fifteen, that didn't had any visible injuries. The corpse of the older woman was dried up, as if all moisture from it was drained out. The Harrowed hovering over them was just a regular Wraith, barley formed.

Not even minute later Jaune walked out of house, his face set in stone.

"Job done. Let's head for the next mark." He said, when Ori asked him how it went. He nodded, and took his place on the front of their small group, focused on the road ahead of them.

 _I hope the next Wraith is tougher. I really need to blow off some steam._

* * *

 _Fuck._

Jaune ducked, avoiding a lampost. He could feel it ruffling his hair for a split of second, before it embedded itself into the wall behind him.

 _Crap._

He rolled to the side, avoiding a brick the size of of his fist, shattering where his head was just a moment ago.

 _Shit._

He almost made it out of the way of the table. It caught him in the arm. It staggered him for just a moment, but it was enough for a rock the size of his head to slam into his chest. He barely registered that he was hit, before his back slammed into a tree nearly ten meters away. He groaned, but thankfully the attack didn't do much more than knock the air out of him, his armor absorbing most of the impact..

He send his silent thanks Weiss, who set it up for him to… 'field test' the HIDE armor.

With a huff he got up - and instantly threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the next projectile.

It hit the tree hard, groaned, and slumped down.

"You could have caught me, you asshole." Ori complained.

"Sorry, acted on reflexes." Answered Jaune, not even looking at the man - and not feeling sorry at all. All his attention was focused on their opponent - a glowing ball, about the size of soccer ball, floating about fifteen meters away from them and two meters above the ground.

It changed color from red, to brown, then to green and back to red. It started glowing brightly, a few red sparks shooting out of it. Then it ended, its color shifting to grey.

Jaune relaxed a bit.

"What the flying fuck is this shit?" Ori wheezed, slowly rising up, using his weapon as support.

"Warper. It's a type of Wraith… I think. "

The older Hunter shot him glare.

"You _think?_ You are a Witcher, right? Shouldn't you know this kind of shit?"

Jaune glared back.

"It could be a Wraith. It could be an Aberration. No one is sure. Judging by its unusual shape, it should be the latter. But it has a lot of similarities with normal Wraiths, so people can't agree on how to classify it. Not that it matters. Its abilities are known, and there are ways to deal with it. It all depends on how much collateral damage you can afford."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Though we probably will have to improvise." He murmured.

Ori swung his axe-thing a few times, and rested it on his shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because we don't have time and resources to pull out safe way, nor can afford the easy one."

Ori opened his mouth to ask something, but instead just cursed and jumped to the side to avoid another object thrown at them by Warper.

Clay hit the same tree, breaking it in half.

"You could catch me you assholes." He groaned, slowly getting up.

"I said the same thing…" Ori murmured, watching as the Warper slowly floated their way.

Clay scoffed, but refrained from answering, focusing on the Harrowed instead.

"So, what the fuck is this? And how we kill it?"

Jaune took a few deep breaths, coughed, and glared at his opponent.

"Well, most common tactic is to gather as many people as you can and shoot it until it weakens, then someone tries to finish it. Rinse and repeat, until you succeed."

"We shot it. It didn't work out well for us." Clay pointed out.

"That's because you need more people."

"How many?" Ori asked.

"One time I did this with twenty people. I heard some folks did it with fifteen, but they got trashed pretty badly."

The massive man winced.

"We have only eight, if the Old Man will come with rest of our team."

"I know. I don't suppose any of you have a Semblance That can cause an explosion? It can't reflect those, so it would be more effective."

"Well…" Clay trailed off. "Kinda? I can mark things, and then either superheat or freeze them. If you give me something like a red Dust crystal, I can turn it into grenade."

Jaune considered something for a few moments, not taking eyes from the Harrowed.

"Ok so here is plan. Clay, you check out surrounding buildings, gather every speck of Dust you can find, or anything that could potentially explode. Gather it in that house with the fancy blue roof, and let us know when you are done."

Said man nodded, and ran off to nearby house.

"Ori, we need keep it busy. Just charge at it, and don't even try to reach it. Try to keep at least ten meters distance, it shouldn't be able to reach you."

"Wha..."

"By the way, our talk break is over."

"Wait, why…" Ori called out, but Jaune was already gone.

The older man cursed, and made to go after him, but paused, taking a few moments to observe the young boy being flung around the small square like rag doll.

"Well, fuck." With this battlecry, Ori lept into the fray.

* * *

"So.." The older Hunter coughed a few times, and tried to push himself up the wall he just slammed into. "I didn't have a chance to ask last time, but what is the safe way?"

There was no answer, besides sound of someone desperately fighting for breath, and to not throw up.

Ori looked down at the blond boy lying beside him in the fetal position, coughing and wheezing. He winced when Jaune started to push himself up.

 _Kid is a tough one. Even with that fancy armor of his, the amount of damage he took is absurd. Just how much Aura does he have?_

"You ok there kid?" He asked aloud.

"Yeah." Jaune answered after coughing a few times. He basically crawled to the older man, and pushed himself against the wall into a seated position.

Ori let out a tired sigh, and glared at the floating orb around twenty meters away from them. It was now pale blue, sometimes changing color to green for split of a second. He took another look at his companion and scoffed. The kid was not ok. He had nasty cut on his forehead, and was breathing heavily. Aura would heal it, in fact it already started. But how much longer would he last?

Not that he himself was in better condition. A quick check of his scroll, by some miracle still intact, revealed that both of their Auras were at slightly below fifty. Things were starting to look bad.

 _What the hell is Clay doing?_ Ori thought, wincing as another wave of pain washed over him.

 _And it all started so nice._ He huffed. The landing was an easy one, the few Ghouls they encountered were not much of a challenge. The rest of the Hunters were professionals, many of whom he knew, if not personally, then by reputation.

Once they landed, everyone was doing their damn job, without complaining, or getting in each other's way. And even though he had some concerns about the second Witcher that joined them at the last second, by order of Headmaster Ozpin no less, the young boy quickly proved that he not only knew what he was doing, but also wasn't some elitist prick, like many young Witchers.

They moved through the city fast, eliminating all the Ghouls, and a few stray Grimm. The first Wraith was dealt with relatively fast, yet again proving that the kid knew his craft.

When they reached the second spawn was when things went to hell.

First Clay tried to contact the other group, since the sound of gun fire stopped a few minutes prior, but it turned out their communication devices had stopped functioning. Ori tried to call them by scroll - but there was no signal.

Moments later, Jaune the left building in hurry, by means of being thrown through the wall by a fridge, slamming into ground, skidding a few meters before finally coming to stop, not far from them. All he managed to do, was to shout 'down' before the whole front wall of the building he just flew out of exploded. Shortly after, this damn thing lazily flew out.

He sighed again, happy for another break. Ori spared another glance at the young boy next to him.

"So what is this safe way?" He repeated his previous question.

Jaune winced, and coughed a few times, before answering.

"You smash it with a truck, or a bullhead. Preferably one filled with as many explosives as you can fit in."

Ori winced. Yeah, they didn't have such things to spare.

"Wouldn't it bounce it back?"

"Nah. Too much mass, traveling at too much speed. It needs some time to take control of an object, the heavier it is, the longer it takes."

Ori huffed. Then blinked a few times, when a thought occurred.

"Wait, does that mean that someone fast enough could easily take it out?"

"Yeah. But honestly, it would take some serious bullshit for a person to travel fast enough."

"I see." They both rose to their feet, glaring at their opponent. Then threw themselves to the side, to avoid a piece of furniture that slammed into the wall they were leaning on.

"I guess that means break time is over?" Ori asked, reading his weapon.

"Yep." Answered Jaune, doing the same.

They both charged at the same time, flanking the now pink ball of destruction.

* * *

"So, why are we even doing this? Holding it off I mean. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere." Asked Ori between harsh pants.

"Because the motherfucker will be constantly storing energy if left alone, making itself stronger. Give it enough time, and it will over-charge and explode." Jaune answered, gasping for air.

The Harrowed's last attack sent them crashing through two walls, right into the living room of one of the buildings. The old Hunter pulled out his scroll - seriously, what was this thing made of? - and checked they Aura levels. He was around twenty. Jaune was almost out, with only around five percent remaining.

 _Why couldn't it throw me just half a meter to the right? I would land right in that chair._ He thought, trying to get up, then giving up.

"How strong would the blast be?"

"Enough to level most of this city."

Ori winced.

"Then just out of curiosity. What is the easy way?"

Jaune coughed a few times, and rolled to the side, clutching his left arm. It was badly swollen near the wrist and elbow.

"Just that." He said.

Ori shot him questioning glance. Jaune coughed a few more times before answering.

"You piss it off, and then run the hell away. It's slow as fuck, so it will never be able to catch up. Then you just wait for it to overcharge and self destruct."

"Not an option here."

"Yep."

They both managed to push themselves up into a sitting position.

"So…" Ori trailed off "Why are we even getting these breaks? Wouldn't it just use this time to recharge?"

Jaune sighed.

"Nah, it won't start gathering as long as it's agitated."

"How do you know when it starts charging up?"

"It starts glowing white."

"Fair enough." He took a few deep breaths before getting up.

"Anything else you can tell me? What about it changing colors? Does it mean anything?"

Jaune tried to get up too, but stumbled, and would have fallen if older man didn't catch him.

"No one knows for sure, but general opinion is that its colors means only that is agitated. Only thing to watch out is how strong it glows - it indicates how angry it is. If we piss it off to much, it might release a big attack, like that last one. It will cost it a lot of energy, so it's actually good way to weaken it, but…"

Jaune shrugged, and Ori winced. Neither of them wanted to get hit by that again.

They slowly walked towards the hole they made in the wall, Ori reaching it first, peering outside.

"Hey, is there any way to tell if it's going to go ham on us?"

"It starts sparkling. Best thing to do then is to just run. Its power falls out very fast with distance. If you get around seven, eight meters away, it wouldn't be nearly as powerful." Jaune answer with a shrug.

"Sparkling? Like that?" Ori said, pointing outside.

Jaune peeked out, to see the Warper not more than five meters from them, glowing fiercely red, and sparkling viciously.

"Yeah, just like that."

"Fuck." Ori offered his educated opinion.

"Shit." Jaune agreed.

A wave of energy flung them all the way to next building. This time Ori did land in the chair - not that it did much to help him out.

* * *

Jaune winced, probing his left arm. It didn't look like anything was broken, but it was badly bruised. Well, to be honest, his whole body ached, the result of beating he received in five minutes he and Ori had to hold off the Warper alone. In the end, it turned out Clay wasn't slacking off at all - it's just that your perception of time tended to get warped when you get your ass flung around by a monster with immense telekinetic powers.

He gathered a good amount of Dust, and various chemicals and and made an improvised bomb out of them. Several actually. They managed to lure Warper close to it, and blow it up. Of course it was not enough to take down the damn thing, but it did cause it to lose a lot of energy, and the resulting explosion was big enough to catch the Old Man's attention - just as Jaune hoped. The rest of the team joined them soon after, and together they took out the weakened monster.

 _I think I'll need to buy Weiss something nice once I'm back at Beacon. This would be much worse if not for my armor._

Jaune smiled fondly. He still remembered the day when the heiress presented him Bear HIDE. She was trying her best to pretend she hadn't just pulled all the strings she could to allow someone who wasn't even a licensed Hunter, with no affiliation to Atlas, to receive top-tier equipment, normally reserved for Atlas military elites, because she was worried about him.

 _What excuse did she used again? Something about 'giving her employee the right equipment for the task he was supposed to perform' I think._

He chuckled.

She could be cute like that sometimes.

 _If I recall correctly, they have special word for that kind of behavior in Mistral. What was that again? Tsundere?_

Jaune smiled, but it fell when he recalled what happened the one time he actually called her that. Never again did he made that mistake.

 _Tsundere or not, this armor you gave me yet again saved my ass. Thanks for that Weiss._

"You are either a masochist, or in much better shape than I thought you are, if you can smile like that kid. Which one is it?"

Jaune winced and looked up at the sound of the gruff voice. The old man - and Jaune wished he knew the man's real name - was staring at him with his usual scowl.

"Neither. Just recalling old times."

"Kiddo, you are at least fifty years too young to be recaling 'old times'. Right now you are still at the phase where you're supposed to be making memories."

Jaune snorted and shook his head.

"Sure old-timer. Anyway, what's the situation? Since we are setting up a camp, I presume there were some complications?"

"Oh you presume? Well, good fucking job, because you are right on fucking point." The older man glared at Jaune, but the blond held his gaze. After a few moments, the older man started speaking.

"A few things happened youngster, and none of them are good. First thing, around half an hour after we separated, our communication devices started to die, one by one. You checked your scroll?"

Jaune nodded.

"It says out of range. But it's shouldn't be - we are not that far away from Vale."

"True. But it is. So for now, we have no means to contact the outside world. And this is just beginning of the trouble. Before communication went down, we tried to contact the other teams, since there was no sign of combat elsewhere in the city. We got no response to any of our calls. We split up, searching for them. I ran into Team Two. Or rather, what was left of them." He pulled out his scroll, and shown Jaune some photos.

Massacred was only way to describe the bodies he saw. There was very little left of them.

"Ghouls? Grimm?"

"Hard to tell. Could be either, could be both. Or neither."

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"We found two people from Team One not soon after. Look at that."

This time the bodies were in much better condition. Not nearly as mutilated, wounds cleary made by sharp blades, not teeth or claws.

"Bandits?"

"Maybe. But I knew those people, kid. They were some of the best out there. It would take something more than a simple bandit to take them out."

"So, to put it simply - we are neck-deep in shit, right?" Asked Ori, limping to them. He had his right arm bandaged up, white material stained red already. Both him and Jaune got trashed pretty hard in their fight against the Warper, with Jaune barely escaping with a sliver of his Aura left - and only thanks to the fact that Ori pulled him down, and shielded with his own body from the Harrowed's last attack. They both got knocked out by it, the older man losing all his Arua. Thankfully, rest of the team pulled them aside and managed to finish Warper off.

"Well, maybe not neck deep. Yet." Answered the Old Man, throwing another piece of wood into the fireplace. They were gathered in small house, around halfway towards the city center. It was already dark outside. Ori and Jaune got patched up, and were now resting. The rest of the team got to barricading the house as best as they could. They would be spending night here after all.

"Yeah sure." The massive man sat next to them, and started counting out.

"Our short-range communication does not work, so we can't spread out without losing touch with each other. Our long-range communication is down too, so we can't call HQ to report, call for backup, or evacuation. Out of three teams sent here, one got wiped out, and other is missing with two members confirmed dead. And we have to spend night in a Harrowed-infested city. Did I miss something?"

"There is only one bathroom." Someone shouted from the back of the house.

"Ah yes, how could I forget about that one. Oh, and two of probably only eight people alive in this shithole are out of Aura. So, yeah, I think this classifies as 'neck-deep in shit'."

Jaune winced. Yep, this looked bad.

The Old Man sighed.

"Yeah, maybe you are right. But for now you two go and catch some rest. We will split watches between the six of us."

Jaune made to speak, but was interrupted by a loud howl. A second one responded, then a third and fourth. The strange song continued for almost a minute, then everything went silent.

For a few moments the only sound in the small house were the breaths of eight people, and crackling wood in the fireplace.

"That wasn't a Beowolf." Ori finally broke the silence.

"I know." The Old Man responded

"It wasn't a Ghoul either." Pointed out Jaune.

"I know."

"This is bad." Said Clay, sitting next to Jaune.

"Yeah. It is." Answered Old Man, throwing yet another piece of wood into the fireplace.

"Go get some sleep youngsters. I'll take first watch."

Jaune nodded and grabbed one of the blankets they salvaged from the nearby houses.

 _Leon always said that every situation looks better in daylight. Maybe this will be true for this one too?_ Jaune thought, lying down near the fireplace.

He wished he believed it.

* * *

 **AN: So yeah, this is it. Be careful what you ask for - you might get your wish granted.**

 **I saw some people being concerned that I will kill Sam off. Let me assure you - I have no plans of writing such scene. Anyway, not much to talk about this week, so let's just jump straight to the omake. This is a continuation of the one from last week (and yes, it too was written by JJD).**

 **JJD: Sam for life kids.**

* * *

 **Letter to a Friend**

 _Dear Jaune,_

 _I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote you! It's great that you and Leon are getting along (guys show affection through beatings right?). Things couldn't be going better for me and Pierre. He's a picture of professionalism. We're like peas in a pod!_

"Pierre, so help me if you're drunk on the clock again!"

"Wha clock? Der iz no clock!"

"There's a clock when I say there's a clock! I'm the customer, and the customer is always right!"

"Only if dey pay!"

"You'll get paid when we make it! That's the arrangement!"

"Der iz no arrangement! Ew jus said dat once!"

 _I'm learning so much under his tutelage. Just the other day, we were going over some advanced movements that I'd think you'd love. I think we might even collaborate together on a new dance routine!_

"It'z one, two, dree, how 'ard iz dat!?"

"It's not hard, it's boring! I can come up with something better!"

"It'z a classic, ew need to learn da basics!"

"It's classically boring!"

"Ew are killin me."

"Not yet, but keep this attitude up and I will!"

 _Our dance academy is truly top of line. Pierre spared no expense in making sure that it's the best around!_

"Why iz it on fire!"

"I don't know you old drunk, it just started by itself! Probably because there's enough liquor and old newspapers around here to burn down half Vale!"

"Put it out!"

"The water's not working! Why is the water not working!?"

"Oh no! Eye forgot about da billz!"

"We are going to die in here you old codger!"

 _And just like you and Leon, we keep up a strict diet to keep in peak physical condition._

"Pierre, what is this?"

"It iz food, eyat it."

"No Pierre, this is not food. This is Ramen noodles and ketchup."

"And wine."

"Yeah. Pierre, do you know how old I am?"

"Old enough to be a payne in my azz."

"It's illegal Pierre."

"Who iz da man to 'ell Pierre how to drink iz wine!?"

 _But I think my favorite thing is just how supportive he is._

"What iz your parentz' number?! I'm zending ew home!"

"I am home Pierre! This is our dance academy now remember?!"

"Yez, eye remember, and I'm about to burn it down to get ew out!"

"Much like the many diseases that I'm sure you have Pierre, I'm with you for life!"

"Dis iz punishment for a great crime Pierre committed in another life, he iz sure ov it."

"Shut up and teach Pierre."

 _I think we're going to be opening soon! I know you're super busy, but I'm going to try to send you some tickets! Bye for now!_

Love, Your friend,

Sam

* * *

 **And that wraps it up. If you liked chapter, please leave review. If you didn't - leave one anyway, I'm always open to helpful criticism.**

 **Well, I'll see you all next week.**


	18. Hunters and Hunted

**Welcome to Ch 17 of TPA! JJD as always keeps this readable.**

* * *

 _Well, I wouldn't classify this as 'better.'_

Thought Jaune, watching as the Old Man pulled his black sword form Ori's chest. When he woke up this morning it was to find the older Hunter dead. He didn't realize it at first, he thought he was just sleeping. He went to the bathroom, and when he came back it was to see Clay and two other Hunters gathered around the leader, who was pulling Ori's shirt up to reveal several black spots forming on the man's torso.

"Ok, any of you youngsters have any idea how he died?"

"No sir." Someone answered. Jaune recognized him as the same man who was patching up him and Ori last night.

"But it shouldn't be because this wound. Even for a normal person, without Aura, such damage wouldn't be lethal."

The Old Man spat to the side, his usual scowl deepening.

"Figures. Kiddo, anything unusual happen when you two played with that Warper?"

"Nothing that I can think of." Jaune answered with a sigh.

"Fuck." He spat to the side, and considered something for a few moments. "Someone call the rest of the squad. It's time for a little strategy meeting. And help me move the body to the other room."

Half an hour later, they all sat around a small table in the living room of their temporary base. The Old Man looked them over and sighed.

"Alright folks, we have a problem here, and I think we need to talk it out before we decide what we're going to do next. So, can you tell what happened on your end after we separated? Jaune? Clay?"

Both of them looked at each other and shrugged.

"Nothing special. There were a lot of Ghouls, but mostly fresh ones. Some of them didn't even had any mutations. We reached the first Wraith spawn around thirty minutes after we separated. Jaune went in, and walked out around ten minutes later, unharmed from what I saw. We then proceed to the other location, it took us around forty minutes to get there. Again, nothing unusual happened, just that there were far more Ghouls. Oh, and the Wraith wasn't a Dream Eater."

The Old Man nodded, the turned to Jaune.

"KId? Anything unusual in any of these two houses?"

Jaune pondered the question for a few moments, then shook his head.

"Nothing that I can think of. In first one I found four corpses - two female, one male, and one too messed up to tell its gender. Probably parents and children, judging by the size. The Wraith was barely formed, so killing it was easy. Beside that? Nothing worth mentioning."

"What about Ori?"

"Again, nothing special. We were crippling Ghouls, Jaune was finishing them. We encountered a few stray Beowolves, but nothing major. It was pretty much a standard clean up operation, until that Warper showed up."

"Then how the hell did he die, and started turning after...I don't know, maybe a few hours ? Anyone know exactly when he died?"

"I think sometime after midnight. I heard him snoring when I went to the bathroom." One of Hunters said.

The Old Man checked the time on his scroll and winced.

"It's few minutes after six. Not long enough for corruption to start to settle in, and there was nowhere near enough negativity for him to start turning in the first place." The old Hunter scowled -more than usual, that is.

"I don't like it. I don't like this one bit. This whole situation doesn't make any fucking sense."

"Why? Maybe he got infected by something and died from that? Or had some internal damage that we didn't notice…" Clay pointed out, but the Old Man just scoffed, and spat to the side.

"That's not it. Or at least not all of it. Have any of you seen any bodies on the streets?"

There were a few moments of the group looking around at each other, shrugging and shaking their heads.

"Yeah, me neither. Kid, you said you saw some in the first house. What about the second one? "

Jaune shrugged.

"Not sure. The living room was empty. The next room I checked was the kitchen - and I didn't have a chance to get a good look before the Warper blasted me out."

"And that's another strange thing. The distress signal was received around one hour before we set off. It would take at least two, maybe three weeks for a Warper to grow so big. There's no fucking way for it to remain hidden in the middle of the town for so long. And then this outbreak. One so big doesn't happen out of nowhere. Hell, I've been a Witcher for over forty years, and I've never seen any that comes close to this. For something like that to happen, something really messed up would have to happen. But as far as we know, this was a completely normal city, up until most of its population turned into monsters."

He paused for a moment, arms crossed over his chest.

"And those Ghouls. They were young ones. All of them. There should be a few older ones. It all looked like they all changed at roughly the same time. And have you seen how much damage there is to the city?"

"Well, to be fair, I didn't think there was that much…" Jaune pointed out.

The Old Man snorted.

"Yeah, you're right. And didn't it strike you as strange? This town was attacked by a horde of monsters. And there is hardly any damage to the buildings."

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Asked Clay after a moment of silence.

The Old Man sighed, then shook his head.

"We are moving out. First we check the mayor's mansion, there might be some communication equipment there that will let us contact HQ. If not, we simply grab any survivors we find and then get the hell out of here."

"What about team one?"

"If anyone is alive, they would either head towards the mayor's mansion, or have retreated. We will keep our eyes open, but that's it. If we find them, good. If not, we are still leaving."

* * *

Eclipse rose, cutting the outstretched arm near elbow. Immediately after it fell, biting into Ghoul's shoulder, cutting through bone and muscle until it stopped in the middle of its chest. Jaune didn't even bother cleaning the blood that sprayed on his face, instead he tore his sword free, and spun, cutting into another monster. It struggled for a few moments, then stilled, black spots on its body disappearing quickly.

 _Too fast._ Jaune thought, pulling Eclipse free, and stabbing another Ghoul in the chest.

 _Corruption clears too fast for Ghouls this size. And there are far too many of them._

Not enough to overwhelm their group - yet. So far they were holding the horde off, but they were fighting almost non stop since they left their hideout. The number of Ghouls was simply unreal - Jaune honestly started to believe that whole town had turned.

 _But that's not possible. They all would have to die in the same way, at the same time. Judging by damage to the city, or rather lack of any, there was no bandit raid, or Grimm incursion, or any other catastrophe. There is no way all of these people died together. Unless…_

His eyes narrowed as he cut down yet another Ghoul. A quick glance around revealed that most of the Harrowed were dead, the Old Man finishing a few stragglers. Jaune slumped against a nearby wall, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Move it ladies, it's not time to be lying around. Unless you want to keep playing with our new friends." The Old Man shouted.

Jaune winced, and pushed off of the wall. He could hear the next wave of Ghouls coming.

 _We can't keep this up for long. We need to find someplace to rest._

"You think I don't know, kid? Been looking for any decent house to hunker down for like half an hour." Was the leader's response, when Jaune shared this thought with him. Jaune winced and focused on the road ahead. They were moving fast, but not running. There was no way they could outrun the Ghouls, they would just tire themselves out.

They must have entered something akin to a trade district. Most of the houses they saw had either far too many windows to be good defensive positions, or were too big for the seven of them to be able to effectively defend inside.

"How about that one?" Shouted Clay, pointing to the side.

Jaune turned, to see a rather large, two story building. It looked like a pub of some kind. From what Jaune could see, there were several windows, but most of them were too small for a Ghoul to come through.

 _It doesn't look bad._ Jaune thought. Even if they weren't able to hold the lower floor, they could retreat upstairs, and defend there. And if things got really bad, they could use windows to get on the roofs of nearby buildings.

The Old Man apparently thought the same, because he urged whole team to run towards said building.

"Alright, Clay, Kid, check out the other rooms, make sure we are only ones here. The rest of you - start barricading doors and windows."

Thankfully, they didn't have any aggressive company, and were able to secure their new base without any problems. Well, beside the Ghouls that came from outside. There were a few tense moments when the horde form outside almost managed to break inside, but eventually they managed to barricade all the entrances.

"So, I don't want to be that guy, but what now? We push onward, or do we retreat?" Asked Clay, after the Ghouls got bored of storming their improvised fort.

Jaune pulled out his scroll, and checked the tactical map of town they all got before the mission started.

"I think we can push on after we catch some rest. We are almost at the mayor's house anyway."

Clay sighed, rolling his head to loosen the muscles.

"There are a lot of Ghouls outside. It would take ages to kill them all."

"Well, we could always use the rooftops. But there is a good chance they will get bored if we stay quiet for long enough."

"How long?"

Jaune shrugged, taking a set on one of chairs they didn't used to barricade the doors and windows.

"Dunno. Might be an hour, might be more. Or less. Anyway, we are relatively safe here, so I guess we might as well get some rest."

"Don't get too comfortable. Even if these fuckers let us be, we still would have to clear them off to get civilians out of here." A gruff voice sounded behind them.

Clay turned to regard the Old Man.

"If there are any civies alive. With so many Ghouls, I'm starting to believe the whole city got turned."

"There is no way that happened...is what I would like to say. But you might have a point. There are just too many of them. Problem is - how did it happen"

"Well, I think we can exclude Grimm or a bandit attack. Not enough collateral damage, and we would have seen bodies. Plus, a request for help would have come earlier." Reasoned Clay.

Jaune nodded.

"And we barely saw any Grimm in the city. If this were an attack, negativity would have summoned more of them. Not to mention how close to Vale we are. Anything big enough to be threat for this city - Grimm or bandits - would be detected and dealt with."

The Old Man hummed, staying silent for a moment.

"So, what are we left with? If it didn't come from outside, it had to be an internal problem. We can exclude epidemic, or explosions for the same reasons as above. It would take too much time for all the residents to die, and there would be bodies."

"Well…" Jaune trialed off "I have a theory…"

"Oh? Mind sharing it, kid?"

"Sure. But first, one question. Don't you think those Ghouls look kinda… similar to each other? Like, almost identical?"

"What?" Exclaimed Clay, cleary confused. "Have you hit your head? Most of them had only blackened skin, in a few places, without much mutation…"

"No, the kid has a point." The Old Man mumbled, stroking his chin.

The Hunter looked between the two Witchers, both of them lost in thought. When none of them spoke for a few moments, he coughed to get their attention.

"I hate to interrupt whatever you two are doing, but maybe provide some sort of explanation for poor, old me? How exactly do those Ghouls look similar?"

"Corruption." Said the Old Man. "We don't know much about how and why Harrowed are formed, but we do know that, in the case of Ghouls, the cause of death will determine from where corruption starts spreading. If someone died because they were attacked, the wound that caused the death would be the origin. In the case of disease - it would usually start from the heart or brain. But after that, it would spread chaotically. Some parts of the body would be corrupted and mutate faster than others. I've never seen two Ghouls that looked exactly the same, there are always some differences. And the ones we fought…" The Old Man paused, his eyes narrowing.

"Now that I think about it… Their corruption was spreading evenly. And they didn't look too deformed." He turned to Jaune "So? What is this theory of yours kiddo?"

Jaune took a moment to gather his thoughts, trying to find any gaps in his logic. When he found none, he spoke.

"Poison. This is only way that I can think of for so many people to die at a similar time."

"Poison? So many people? That would be hard." Clay was clearly not convinced.

"True. But not impossible. If he messed with the town's water supply, he could get the whole town without anyone noticing."

"But there are safety protocols, filters, and sensors that would send an alarm if they detected something toxic in the water." The older Hunter argued.

Jaune sighed.

"Yeah, you are right. But only if what they would detect would be registered as a toxic substance. There are ways to bypass that. You could, for example make something that is completely harmless on its own, but becomes toxic after prolonged exposure to some conditions."

"Something like that is possible?"

"Yeah. But it would be hard, very hard."

"Well," the Old Man spoke after a few moments of silence, "this theory is as good as any. You think Ori might have somehow gotten poisoned too?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, that would explain how he died from such a small wound like that, and why he started turning so fast."

The Old Man's eyes narrowed.

"You think it's the work of the same psycho from Atlas? The one that was running around, and turning girls into Wraiths?"

"I-I'm not sure. He is only one I ever heard of that can reliable create similar Harrowed. And this" Jaune motioned around him," is on a completely different scale, compared to what he did in Atlas or Vale."

"Wait, that whole mess in Vale was his doing too? Are you sure?" Asked Clay.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, thinking for a few moments on his answer.

"I don't have any proof. But a friend of mine got a picture of someone that looked very similar leaving Vale last Monday."

"Just when the murders stopped. You think he might have gotten scared that he was getting too much attention, and decided to leave the city?"

"Probably. Or just wanted to find a smaller place to make some of his experiments. Or a million other things."

The Old Man hummed, nodding a few times. Then shook his head, and looked back at Jaune.

"So, back to the problem at hand. How do you think Ori got poisoned?"

"Not sure. Could be the blood of the Ghouls he killed. But I think it's the water. I saw him drinking from the tap as soon as we got to that house."

"Wait." Clay exclaimed, eyes wide. "Didn't you drink from it too?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, but Ori was out of Aura. I think this made the difference."

"You sure? I mean…"

"You want me to strip and check if I didn't started turning?" Jaune asked with a serious voice.

Clay considered him for a few moments, then slowly shook his head.

"Nah. You are too lovely to be a walking corpse. Anyway, what do we do now?"

Jaune got up and stretched.

"I think we should push onward. We can decide when we see what the situation is like at the mayor's house."

* * *

 _Ok, this doesn't look good._

Jaune winced. After nearly two hours, they finally reached their destination - a big, two story building situated near a large square with a small fountain in the center. It apparently served both as city hall, and the mayor's residence.

"This doesn't look good." Clay echoed his thought aloud. Seeing as heavy doors were wide open, and the whole square was covered in motionless bodies, it wasn't hard to guess what happened.

"Stop standing and staring, and move. We need to investigate anyway, maybe someone hid somewhere deep in the building."

Jaune sighed. They all knew that chances of them finding any survivors were slim at best, especially if his theory about the poison was correct.

They closed slowly, wary of any surprise attacks. Amidst the deformed corpses of Ghouls, they found two that clearly belonged to Hunters - if the clothing and unusual weapons were anything to go by. Jaune and the Old Man looked at each other and nodded.

Two black swords pierced the two bodies at the same time. Both Witchers remained still, until last black spots disappeared from the corpses.

After that was done, the whole group moved towards the door, weapons at the ready. It was clear what happened. One of the other teams reached the mayor's house first. They opened the door, but instead of civilians, they found Ghouls. Sounds of combat must have dragged more Harrowed to the area, and the team was surrounded. Jaune couldn't spot any more bodies that looked like they belonged to Hunters, so it was possible at least some of them survived.

Seeing as the doors were wide open, they didn't bother with any subtlety, instead just bursting inside, weapons at the ready, eyes scanning every corner of the spacious hall they were in.

It was empty, save for a few broken pieces of furniture, and one or two bodies.

"Ok, you know the drill. Sweep the building, secure doors and windows. We will stay here for a minute to catch our breath, and decide what to do next." Said the Old Man.

They all got to work. Thankfully some barricading had been done by the civilians that hid there, before they turned into Ghouls. Since the building was very large, checking it all took more time than their previous hideouts. Thankfully, besides one Ghoul in the kitchen, it proved to be empty.

"So, how does it look?"

"The house seems to be clear. Not much here, but we found a control room of some sort in the basement. There were sealed doors there, but we didn't try to open them." Said Huwe, a short, lean man with a small mustache, and long, brown hair tied up in a ponytail.

"What was in the control room?"

"A lot of pipes, some computers, and a ton of screens. Most of them didn't work, but I could hear water moving through the pipes. I guess this is where the town is getting their water from."

"Probably." Said Toto. He was a tall man, almost as tall as Tob, but not nearly as massive. His short, black hair was well kept, his mustache perfectly trimmed. He wore a pair of half-glasses. Overall, the man looked more like an office worker, than a Hunter. Even his outfit looked like a suit.

"We found towns map in the mayor's office, and it indicated that there's a cave system under the town, with an underground river running through it, and several small lakes."

"I see…" The Old Man considered something for a few moments, then looked over the gathered Hunters.

"You all heard the kid's theory on how this mess happened?" He waited for all of them to confirm, then continued. "So, what do you think about it?"

"I believe it holds some merit. It would explain a lot. But there is one thing I'm not sure about." Toto said. He fixed his glasses, and turned to address Jaune. "If this was indeed poison, and it is in water, how are you ok? I believe you drank from the same source that Ori did?"

"I think it's thanks to Aura. Ori was completely out after our fight with the Warper, I had a little left. Besides, I'm nearly immune to most poisons. Semblance." The last part was added when the gathered Hunters shot him questioning looks.

The Old Man chuckled.

"Well, isn't that convenient. Listen kid, I recall that you liked to play alchemist when you traveled with Leon. You think you could try to figure out what kind of poison was used, and make something to purge the water here? I don't know if this underground river runs through any other settlements, but if it does and it's poisoned…"

He didn't finish, but he didn't have to. Everyone here could imagine.

Jaune considered his answer for a few moments, then slowly nodded.

"I can try. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to find, but I should be able to at least make some countermeasures. Will need a few things though."

"Nothing too fancy, I hope? We are kinda low on supplies, and I doubt any stores will be open at this hour." Clay joked.

"Nah. Just a bit of laboratory glassware, and a few chemicals. I saw a clinic on our way here, and a pharmacy. They should have all the things I need. Plus samples. "

"Good. Huwe, you go see if you can get the machinery in the control room running. Usually cites like this have cameras set around, if we can get a recording we might figure out what exactly happened. Toto, I saw some antennas on the roof that looked like short-range communication boosters. Go see if you can't get our scrolls back up and running. Rest of you, go with the kid, help him gather what he needs. Any questions? No? Then move your asses."

* * *

"You wanted to show me something?" Asked the Old Man, looking over the control room. In addition to sound of water running through multiple pipes, now he could hear soft hum of working machinery.

Huwe spun in his chair to face the older man. "Yeah. I managed to restore power and get access to the camera footage. A lot of it is corrupted, but I found one interesting bit. Here look at this."

The Old man walked closer and looked at the only active screen. Huwe pressed a few buttons and the video started playing. It was of very poor quality, but he could just make out some dimly lit room, or cave with a small lake and sizable pipe going out of it. For a few moments nothing happened, but then someone walked into the room. Whoever it was, was carrying a large canister - that they attached to pipe gathering water from lake. They couldn't make out the person's face, because of the low quality of recording, and fact they were hooded, but judging from their behavior, they weren't supposed to be there.

"Well," the Old Man sighed, "I guess the kid's theory just got that much more probable. How old is this recording?"

"Roughly three hours before Vale received the distress signal."

"Shit. Then that means this stuff works really fast."

"So what now? We bail out? I honestly don't see any reason for us to stay. Better to get out, or at least try to contact HQ."

The Old Man scoffed.

"It's not that simple. I talked with Toto just a moment ago. He said that the signal booster got purposely damaged, and in way he won't be able to repair without some specialized tools and a few spare parts. None of which we have. And on top of that, he found this attached to one of the antennas."

Huwe Looked over the small device the Old Man handed him.

"Is it…"

"Signal Jammer. Atlas technology. Old, but still widely used. Whoever did all of this, apparently wanted to make sure that not a word of what happened here got out." The Old Man shook his head.

"We still can't contact the outside, but at very least we can communicate with ourselves."

As if to confirm his statement, his scroll started ringing. The Old Man picked it up, his scowl deepening when he saw who was calling.

"I already received two cases of bad news in the span of five minutes. You better have some good news for me, kid."

"Well…" Jaune's voice trailed off.

"Fuck. Ok, I'll be there in a minute." He ended the call and turned back to Huwe.

"See if you can find something else. I'll go check out what kind of shit hit the fan this time."

* * *

All five Hunters and two Witchers sat at a single table in what was probably once a conference room. All eyes were focused on Jaune.

"Where is Huwe?"

"Busy in the control room. Now spill kid. What did you find out?"

The blond hunter sighed, running his hand through his hair. He really wished he had more time to run tests, or had better equipment, or not had to do it at all.

"A few things. First of all, I was able to confirm that there is _something_ in the water samples we gathered. I don't have the necessary equipment to determine what exactly, but I found traces of a similar substance in the Ghouls', and Ori's blood. So I think it's safe to assume some kind of poison was used to kill and turn those people. The good news is that it seems to dissolve pretty quickly, so I don't think we have to worry about it spreading. Not too much at least, and Aura seems to protect against it as well."

"So what's the bad news?" Clay asked.

"This substance.. The water was not only thing that was spreading it. "

Jaune sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small object. It was a simple scented candle, like one could find in almost any shop. A few of them even burned in the very room they were sitting in.

Clay covered his face with one hand, slowly drawing it down.

"Tell me you are kidding."

"I wish. I would need to get blood samples from all of you to make sure, but…"

"There is no need. So lets sum this up, shall we? We all inhaled some strange substance that will turn us too if we run out of Aura. We can't call for help, since long-range communication is broken. All the water is poisoned too, so we have to stick to what we brought with us. Oh, and every person living in this city is now Harrowed, that sooner or later will come for us. And We can't afford to let our Aura run dry. Can this get any worse?"

As if to answer the question, they heard a few shots. It didn't take them long to figure out who, and where the sound was coming from.

When they reached the control room it was to find previously sealed doors open, the whole floor covered in blood, and Huwe's headless body lying on the floor.

All monitors were functioning now, showing footage from many different cameras. The Old Man walked closer, and stared at one screen for a few moments.

After the doors were sealed shut, the rest of team joined him.

Footage that old Witcher was so focused on showed cave with sizable lake in it. It was bigger than the one he saw earlier, but this one had pipe a pipe running from it too, and another strange canister.

And multiple big, round, and fleshy things sitting near the edge of the lake, half submerged in the water.

Eggs, or cocoons. And a few of them looked to be empty.

"Shit." Clay summarized the thoughts of every person in the room.

* * *

 **AN. And we continue where we left off last week. Things look… definitely not better than they did last time. But hey, at least this can't get any worse that it already is, right?**

 **Anyway, omake. This one is direct continuation of last week's one. Written by JJD.**

* * *

 **Opening Night**

Pierre's eyes watched as the young girl paced back and forth, slowly trying to burn a hole in the floor of the small backstage room.

"What are ew zo nervous about? Ew said ew've done dis before." He asked.

Sam huffed. "I have done this loads of times before! In front of big crowds."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ow big iz a big crowd?"

She chuckled nervously. "I don't know, maybe a dozen? Whoever stopped by the fountain really."

He ran a hand down his face in exasperation. "Wha da 'ell Zam! Der are at leas a 'undred people out der!"

"Yeah, I picked up on that, thanks." She shot back.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Ok, ok, iz not dat different. 'Ow did ew prepare in de past?"

She sighed. "I don't know! I never really worried about it! Jaune was always there."

"De dorkie knight?"

"My dorky knight." She unconsciously defended.

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ok Zam. Lizten to me for once in ewour life. Breath deep." He took a deep breath, waiting for her to do the same before letting it out. "An let it out." He looked her in the eye. "Good, now eye wan ew to imagin dat when ew are out der, it iz jus me an dat ridiculous boy ew like zo much out der."

"He's not ridiculous."

"Even better. Now, get ready, ew are on in five."

Pierre took up his own pacing routine in the back of the quiet and dimly lit theater, as he waited for Sam to come out on stage. His eyes scanned over the crowd. He been wrong…

There were easily two hundred people here.

He watched as a portly man wearing glasses waddled his way to the microphone in the center of the half circle stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight! For the first time in far too long, we have a student from the great 'Pierre's Studio of Dance and the Arts!' Please welcome to the stage – Samantha Birger!"

"Way to up da pressure azzhole." Pierre muttered as the crowd erupted into applause.

Sam hesitantly peaked her head out from the curtains, eyes wide at the size of the crowd, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and began to slowly and stiffly make her way to the microphone.

He winced when she reached it. It looked like she was trying to hide herself behind the slim stand, as she tentatively reached for the mic.

"Come on Zam, ew can do dis." He whispered.

"Um…hi." She managed to squeak out before she mentally slapped herself. He watched as she started to shut down, taking a step back from the stand.

"Are you going to perform or not?" A voice called from the crowd.

Pierre made a note to have a private _conversation_ with that particular patron later.

"I…uh." Sam stuttered.

"Get off the stage!"

Pierre was about to make his way down the aisle to the man, when the lights started to flicker, a powerful buzzing noise filling the air.

His eyes shot up to Sam. She looked terrified, like she was about to flee the stage. He did the only thing he could think of.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Zam, dat ridiculous boy iz here!" He shouted.

"He's not ridiculous!" She growled, leaning forward towards the crowd.

Her eyes, and his grin, widened at the realization of what had happened. The nervous spell was broken.

Her gaze snapped to the noisy patron. "And you! Maybe if you'd shut up for a minute I could start." She scanned over the crowd. "I'll be performing 'I'm Yours.' You're welcome."

With that, she started to sing. It was a rich, vibrate sound, that accentuated her elegant and flowing movements as she made her way back and forth across the stage, captivating the crowd.

Pierre wished that he could have appreciated it more, but he was too busy dying laughing.

He wiped a tear from his eye and smiled proudly up at the stage.

"Dat'z my girl."


	19. Predators and Prey

**So here it is, Ch 18 of TPA. Made readable by JJD**

* * *

"You really gonna drink that?" Asked Clay, voice mixed with disgust and worry.

"It's not like I have much choice. Someone needs to test it, and with my Semblance I'm the best candidate. Unless you want to volunteer?" Jaune said with a smirk.

Clay's grimace said it all. And frankly, Jaune didn't blame him. The man had assisted him for the whole time he was trying to make an antidote for whatever was used to poison the water in this damn town. It was hard, considering he had only very basic equipment, and the only thing he could really determine was that _something_ was used. So the only way to develop an antidote was the tried and true trial and error method - Jaune Arc style.

Step one - drink poison. Use Semblance to force it into dormant state so it won't kill you.

Step two - drink, or eat, anything that you think might help neutralize said poison.

Step three - use Semblance to force poison to react with every substance one by one, to determine if any of them would work as part of the antidote.

Oh, and try to not puke your guts out in the process.

Nice, simple, and easy. At least in theory.

Jaune sighed and swirled the small beaker he held in hand and winced. The thing inside looked even less appealing that it smelled. And considered how badly it smelled…

 _Well, no point in delaying this. Bottoms up!_

The blond drank it all in one go. For a moment nothing happened, then he bent double, one hand clutching his stomach, the other covering his mouth.

"Oi, you alright there?" Clay was next to him in instant, worry clear on his face.

"Yeah, I'll live. It's just tasted even worse than it looked." He managed to get out after a few moments of struggling to keep the contents of his stomach on the inside.

"You sure? You look rather pale. And considering what you added to that mixture of yours…"

"Yes, I'm sure. Remember, we're all poisoned, can't get much worse than that."

"So.. What now? You use your Semblance and you instantly know what the poison is and how to make an antidote for it? Or you will produce it inside of your body, and we will have to drink your blood to get the cure?"

Jaune chuckled, staggered to a nearby chair, and almost fell over trying to sit.

"Unfortunately, it's not that convenient. Best I can do is use my Semblance to test how it reacts when mixed with other substances. Then I compare it to poisons I know, and based on that, I can try to figure out how to make an antidote."

"Isn't that a bit... risky? I know you said you're immune, but couldn't you just use this." The older man asked, pointing to a makeshift laboratory they set up in one of mansion rooms.

Jaune winced when another wave of nausea washed over him.

"It's not that simple. It's all very basic equipment, even if I did manage to figure out what this thing is, it would take a lot of time. Something we don't really have."

Clay looked like he wanted to say something, but a commotion coming from downstairs stopped him. He looked towards the door, considered something for a moment then looked back to Jaune.

"You mind if I go see what that's about?"

"Go ahead. I need to focus on my Semblance anyway. Just come check on me in and half an hour or so, make sure I'm not dead." He said jokingly. Well, he tried to. Between focusing on his Semblance, and trying to not let content of his stomach go back the way it entered there, his words sounded more like pained groans.

"Yeah, sure." Clay walked to the door,and Jaune focused on his Semblance. It was a delicate process, one that he had to completely focus on. He barely registered the sound of the doors closing behind the older man.

 _Alright. Let's see what we have here…_

"Hey kid?" Jaune shot an annoyed look towards door, held slightly open, Clay's head popping inside.

"Want me to grab you something to drink? Like arsenic?. Or maybe strychnine? I swear I saw a bottle somewhere..."

"Just go already." Jaune growled at him.

Clay laughed, and left. Jaune stared at the door for a few moments, just to make sure he wouldn't try any more jokes. When a few moments passed with no annoying Hunters trying to distract him, he focused back on the task at hand.

* * *

"So, what's all the fuss about?"

The Old Man turned to see Clay approaching.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to help the kid with making an antidote?"

"Said he doesn't need me. So, what happened here?"

"I sent Toto and two others to scout out the area around us, see if they can find any survivors. And they did."

Clay perked up at that.

"Civilians?"

"No. Someone from Team one. They should be here any moment."

Ten minutes later, four people entered the mansion. Three of them were members of his team. The forth one - was a girl that he recognized instantly.

"Look who we have here." He called out, approaching the small group. "Isn't that lil Foxy?"

The woman perked up, and gave him a small smile.

"Hey there Clay. What have you been up to?"

"Ah, you know, the usual. Wanted to check out this wonderful getaway resort." He said, spreading his arms wide.

"I heard that the food here is to die for. But accomodation prices can be murder. Decided to see for myself, and here I am."

She managed a weak laugh, and shook her head.

"Good to see you still have your terrible sense of humor. Hows Ori?"

"He..," Clay swallowed. "He didn't make it."

Her face fell instantly, as did remained silent for a moment, paying respect to their dead friend. Eventually, Clay shook his head, and put a small smile on his lips. There would be time for grief later. Now they needed to focus on surriving.

"How…"

"We fought against a Wraith, strong one. His Aura got depleted, and he was wounded. It wasn't anything too serious, but the next morning he was already dead."

She let out a staggered breath.

"So, he too was chosen…" she mumbled quietly. Clay raised a single eyebrow, but didn't comment. He wasn't too religious himself, like most people these days. He could have sworn Foxy wasn't either - but hey, he wasn't one to judge.

"Anyway, you hungry? We have some food we can share, and then you could tell us what happened to your team."

She nodded and they all went to kitchen. Clay spared a single glance towards stairs, wondering whatever or not he should call Jaune too, but discarded the idea. He was busy with his own job, no need to interrupt him. Someone could always fill him in later.

* * *

"Still nothing?"

Ren shook his head.

"They are still investigating. Doctor Oobleck said that they will let us know as soon as they find something."

Pyrrha sighed. It was the same story that they got every time they asked. Some small part of her understood that the people in charge probably were doing what they could, but this did nothing to lessen her worries.

It was nearly twenty eight hours since her partner and team leader boarded that damn bullhead.

No one told them any details, but one look at Ozpin's face told them that something had gone wrong. Very wrong. This feeling grew only stronger as time passed, and no one had any new information.

Pyrrha felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Nora giving her a reassuring smile. She tried her best to return it, but it felt weak. She wanted nothing more than to grab someone, anyone, who knew something, and force them to tell them what happened. Problem was, that apparently no one knew what really happened. Beacon, and Vale, was full of rumors, every new one crazier than the last. But no one had any answers.

The only thing they knew for sure was that some city, not far from Vale was in some kind of trouble. Three squads of Hunters were sent to investigate, twenty four in total, all of them experienced veterans.

 _Well, all except of one._ Pyrrha thought bitterly.

It's not that she didn't believe in Jaune. He'd proved himself already, both as a skilled fighter, and a knowledgeable Hunter. But he was the same age as them. Sure, he spent four years traveling with an experienced Hunter - but that didn't made him a veteran.

So why he was sent there? Why had Ozpin stopped them, and team RWBY, from going? What did he mean that they didn't have the equipment, knowledge, or skills necessary to do what Jaune was doing? It's not like any of them were a worse fighter than him. And Pyrrha was certain that she was far better than… well mostly anyone in Beacon. And it wasn't just her ego - though the last two weeks she'd received multiple requests for 'friendly spars.' So far she won every single one, regardless of whether the challenger was a first, a second, or even a third year.

So what were they lacking? Pyrrha doubted four years worth of experience in the field was the reason. Jaune himself said that he and Leon didn't spend all that time in the Wilds.

So many questions, and no one had any answers.

A quiet knocking broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Ren opening the door, and letting two people inside.

"Hey guys. How are you doing?" Ruby asked.

Ren looked at his two teammates, and shrugged.

"I'd say rather well… all things considered."

"I guess… still no news about Jaune?"

"Sadly no. They are still investigating, but there is no new information. Or there is, and they simply don't want to share."

"Could be both. This whole thing is fishy as hell." Said Yang, sitting next to Pyrrha.

Nora tilted her head, confused.

"What do you you mean?"

"Think about it. What could happen in a city, only two hours by bullhead from Vale, that would warrant sending so many Hunters? It couldn't be Grimm, any group big enough to cause something like that would be eliminated much earlier. Bandits? The same thing."

"Maybe it was terrorist attack of some sort?" Offered Ren.

"Maybe. But in either case - we would hear something. Someone would call family in Vale, or there would be refugees, or wounded transported to hospitals. But there is nothing. I heard some students in the hallways saying they had family there, and can't contact them. A whole city was cut off, and anyone who tries to come close is turned back."

Ruby shook her head.

"If it's something so big, why would they send Jaune? He is just a first year. This doesn't make sense."

"I know. I tried to confront the Headmaster about it, but he's always busy." Pyrrha said with a tired sigh.

Yang laughed at that.

"Yeah, I know. But don't you think that sending someone every hour or so is a bit much? People are already betting on when you get banned from entering the main tower. Or if you try to break into Ozpin's office." She paused for a moment, looking around as if to check if the were alone, then leaned towards Pyrrha.

"We could lend you Blake when you decide to do it. She has a talent for sneaking." She stage-whispered.

"No need. We have our own ninja." Nora exclaimed, grabbing Ren's arm.

Pyrrha laughed at her friend's antics.

She watched with amusement, as Yang and Nora argued over which team's ninja was better, and then started making plans on how to break into Ozpin's office, with Ruby quipping in from time to time. None of these plan included what to do _after_ they broke in, but Pyrrha supposed it wasn't the point.

It was just a way to distract them, to give them something to do, so they wouldn't spend the time worrying.

Pyrrha sighed and looked out the window, at the darkening sky. She wondered what Jaune was doing right now. Was he thinking about them? Or was he too busy with something important? Maybe they were worrying for nothing, and it all was taking so long for some stupid, silly reason?

* * *

" _Hey Jaune?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Would you come with me?"_

 _He blinked a few times, confused._

" _Come.. where?"_

" _Doesn't matter. If I decided to go somewhere far away, would you come with me?"_

" _You mean on a dancing tour? Well, I guess I'm almost full-fledged Hunter now, so I could be your escort."_

 _The girl next to him tilted her head, her green eyes locked on his._

" _So you will come?"_

 _He considered her for a moment. Why would she ask? He always followed her around, even if she didn't specifically ask. Sure, he might have been late once, or ten times, but he always came._

 _Well, that was probably another girl thing. Even after living with so many of them for so long, there were still things about them he didn't understand._

 _So he just sent her his best smile and nodded._

" _Will you be on time?"_

 _He sighed. Now, that was an unusual question. But he guessed it was justified, considering his track record. Well, this time will be different. He would make it in time - since there was nothing to distract him._

" _Sure. I pro…" He paused when her finger pressed to his lips._

" _Don't." She said, shaking her head, her crismon hair flailing in the wind. Was it just him, or it was getting hotter in here?_

" _Don't… what?" He managed to ask._

 _She looked at him, her expression sad._

" _You won't be able to. You still have things to do out there."_

" _Wait what are you…"_

 _He didn't manage to finish. She smiled at him sadly, then her face started cracking, and then fell apart, like broken glass. He tried to call out her name, but discovered that he couldn't speak. And it was so hot, as if he is sitting too close to fire._

 _He looked around, trying to understand what was happening - only to discover that there was nothing around him. He was floating in some dark space. He couldn't tell left from right, up from down. The only thing he knew was that it was getting hotter and hotter in there._

" _Go, Jaune. You can't afford to be late." He heard her voice._

" _What…" he managed to choke out._

" _No, we don't have time for that! Just hurry up!" It sounded urgent, but he couldn't understand why._

" _Hurry!"_

Jaune awoke with a gasp. His heart was beating a thousand times per second, his breath coming in ragged gasp, and somehow he was feeling incredibly hot and cold at the same time.

"Oi, kid, you alright?" He heard a voice ask . A familiar voice, but he couldn't quite place it. He looked around, but everything was blurry. He vaguely felt something on his chest, something warm. He reached it grab it, and with some surprise discovered it was a hand. He tried to shake his head, to clear his vision, but it only made him nauseous.

He tried to ask what was happening and where he was, but only a horse croak came out. Moments later, something cold was pressed to his lips.

"Here kid, drink. It's water, clean water."

He drank greedily, choking on the cool liquid, and started coughing.

"Easy there kid. Easy. Deep breaths."

He again did as he was told, and after a few moments he calmed down. He looked around again, his vision still foggy, but at least he could make out vague shapes. He was lying in a room that he was quite certain wasn't his, lying on something hard. and there was someone kneeling next to him. He could just make out a few more figures standing around.

 _Did I overdo it with Elixirs again?"_ He thought, trying to get up.

"Easy there kid. Just lay down for a bit."

This time he ignored the voice, pushing himself to a sitting position. He looked up at the man next to him, trying to figure out who it was.

"Leon?" He tried most the obvious answer.

"Afraid not. But glad you are alive kid. We thought you were a goner."

He shook his head again. Who was this man? Where was he? And why did he think he was dead? He certainly acted as though they knew each other, but…

"Move it Clay, you are treating him like he's made of glass." Said another, gruff and unpleasant voice.

"Wait, I'm fine." Jaune managed to spit out. He shook his head again, and looked up, to see the Old Man with one hand raised, ready to slap him.

"Good. Now, what the fuck happened here?"

"I'm… not sure. I was analyzing the samples I collected, and then… I'm not sure."

"Well, you better have something for us after all this trouble. I was ready to skewer your heart."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"Well, yeah. First of all, I don't think this thing is really a poison."

"What?"

Jaune sighed.

"I ran the tests, and I couldn't find any toxin I know of in any of the samples. For all I know, this thing is completely harmless. On its own."

"Kid, stop playing around. Give me details."

"From what I found out this substance doesn't actually kill you. Not in a traditional sense. It affects the brain, most notably parts responsible for long term memory. And a few others, that are responsible for regulating your basic life functions, like breathing and heartbeat."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"This thing is strange. And complicated. I have only a very vague idea of what this is, and how it might work. I think the simplest way to describe it, is that it somehow convinces your brain that you are supposed to die, and then your brain turns off your heart. Somehow." He finished.

There were a few moments of silence after that, before the Old Man cursed, and glared at him.

"Kid, you are not making much sense." He growled.

"This thing doesn't make sense." Jaune growled back.

"So, is this the moment where we should start writing our wills?" Asked Clay.

Jaune considered it for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. From what I found out, this substance isn't too… potent. It won't activate as long as your life functions remain active at normal levels."

"Kid…" Old Man growled again.

"Aura will keep you alive. And even if you lose all of it, you should be fine as long as you stay awake."

"You don't sound too convinced kid."

Jaune looked at the older man for a few moments, then just shrugged and got up.

"Because I'm not. But considering we are still alive after the first night, I think my guess is pretty good. Anyway, one thing I'm sure about is that I will be able to make something to neutralize this thing. If I have to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… what's the point? We can just go back to Vale, give them a few samples, and…" he trailed off, and looked over the gathered people. Some wore serious expressions, some were shifting nervously. Even the Old Man looked concerned.

 _Ok, this can't be good._

"There is something important I don't know about, right?"

"Yeah. Look at this." Clay showed him his scroll. There were photos of the strange egg-like things they saw near one of the underground lakes. But these were sitting in the middle of the street.

"I don't like it already. And I know I'm gonna regret it, but could someone give me some details?"

"While you were busy up there, I sent a few folks to scout the area. They found a shit-ton of Ghouls, but strangely enough they weren't too aggressive. They saw a few drinking from a broken hydrant. After a few moments they turned into those eggs."

"Any chance this is normal stuff, and I just never heard about it before?" Asked Jaune, cleary not expecting a good answer.

"Dunno. I haven't heard about anything like that though." Answered the Old Man.

"Do we know what came out of them?"

"Yeah. Security cameras picked up a moment where they hatched."

Clay browsed his scroll for a moment, before giving it to Jaune again. The recording was short, and rather poor quality, but it showed what was important.

Creatures, for there were two of them, and they didn't looked like any Ghoul Jaune had ever seen before. They were much leaner, about as high as a normal human. Their legs and arms looked similar to that of a praying mantis, just bulkier. The torso remaned vaguely human-shaped, with the head looking like a mix between that of insect and human. Spikes growing from its shoulders and elbows completed the perfect image of an alien bug.

They were in the same cave with a small lake he saw on the monitors when they found Huwe dead. But there was one new detail that caught his eye, besides the two monsters that is - several severed human heads arranged in neat row by the one of the walls.

"Most of Team Two, three of them are from Team One." Clay answered his unasked question.

"How do you know?"

"That patrol I mentioned earlier? They found one survivor from team one. She identified some of the people. And gave insight on just how dangerous these things are. One of them attacked her team one not long after they entered the city. Killed one guy, heavily wounded another, then retreated. Soon after the Ghouls came, and they got overwhelmed, had to retreat to one of the houses, and barricade there. They decided to spend the night. This thing snuck inside and killed two of them when they were asleep."

"How does she knew it was the same creatures?"

"She woke up at night, to see it sitting there, with one head impaled on each of its elbow blades, and bodies lying next to it. It stared at her for a few moments, let out some strange sound, and walked away. She woke up rest of her team, and they attempted to retreat. The Ghouls found them, and they were separated from each other. She confirmed that at least two more died in this fight."

Jaune stared at the Old Man for a few moments, then looked back at the photo. Then walked towards the window, and peeked outside, noticing multiple black figures walking around.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but we cant let more of these things spawn. They are too dangerous." The Old Man said, standing next to him.

All Jaune could do was nod. Things looked bad.

Very bad.

* * *

 **Fun thing about this arc - when I initially started writing it, I thought it would be a short one, two chapter, in-and-out type of thing. Needless to say, it didn't go according to plan. But I think it should end soon - next chapter, or the one after that should be the last one.**

 **This chapter was a pain to write. Not only was I constantly distracted this week, when I did get to writing, it just wouldn't come together. I scraped what I wrote multiple times, the end result being I finished it around 3am today. Fuck my life.**

 **Anyway here is little omake of Jaune training:**

* * *

Jaune rolled to the side, avoiding the wooden blade that came down on the spot he was in just a moment ago. He pushed himself up, and took his stance. The next attack came soon after, a slash coming from his left, followed by a downward slash on his right shoulder when the first attack was blocked by Jaune's shield. Jaune managed to deflect this one, and answered with a shield bash of his own. It didn't connect, but then he didn't expect it to - all he wanted was to break his opponent's rhythm.

Jaune eyed his opponent - Leon was standing about two meters from him, in Fool's stance. The distance either of them could cover in the blink of the eye.

 _Want me to attack? Yeah, sure, as if I'll make it easier for you._

Jaune settled into his own stance, content to wait. By now, he knew that attacking Leon when he was in this stance was a dumb idea. From this position he could answer any incoming attack in multiple ways, making it very hard to defend against his counters. Jaune managed to bait him only once, a few months ago, and his teacher never fell for it again.

 _SO, what are you gonna do, Leon? I can stand like that all day if I have to._

To his surprise, his teacher relaxed, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"Ok, that's enough for today."

Jaune blinked a few times, surprised, but lowered his guard only when Leon turned away, rested his sword against a tree and started drinking from his canteen.

"We are finishing early today?" He asked just to make sure.

Leon looked back at him, one eyebrow raised.

"What are you talking about? We were going at it for two hours, almost non-stop."

Jaune blinked a few times, surprised. Two hours? That was crazy. He usually didn't last more than a few minutes…right?

Truth to be told, he never bothered to check how long his training session with Leon lasted. Mostly because with as far away from civilization as they usually were, there was little point in checking what hour it was. You woke up when the sun rose, and went to sleep when it was too dark to travel safely. They ate launch when sun was at its zenith, and started his combat training when it was around halfway towards the horizon.

The other reason Jaune didn't keep track of how long their sparring sessions lasted was to not make himself feel worse about his losses. He knew he never lasted long, no point in bringing his mood down even further by actually seeing how fast he was beaten down.

But then again, they were training for… how long again? Jaune honestly started losing track of time. It was several months for sure. Six? Eight? He wasn't sure, but maybe he really did make some progress? Jaune focused on his body. It was aching all over, both from exhaustion, and the multiple hits he received, but he wasn't totally spent. He was confident he could keep fighting for at least a little while.

His lips slowly stretched in a small smile. But he didn't allow himself to celebrate just yet.

"Does that mean…?" He asked, standing next to Leon, and taking sip from his own canteen.

The older Hunter must have noticed the excitement in his voice because he smiled too.

"Yep. You cleared Leone's Special Endurance Challenge. Good work."

Jaune had to try really hard to not start jumping around cheering. LSEC - and Jaune still thought this acronym sounded silly - was something Leon set as sort of milestone for him. A test he had to complete before he had his Aura unlocked.

 _Ok, keep it calm, keep it professional. Don't act like a kid that is about to get his favorite cake._

"Does it mean you will unlock my Aura now?!" He squeaked, excited.

 _Well, close enough._

Leon shook his head, then looked at him, a wide smile on his lips. Jaune could tell the man was amused by his behavior, but also proud. It was finally happening! He would have...

"No." Came the short replay.

Jaune's brain needed almost a full minute to process this information.

"WHY?!" He whined.

"Simple. I don't know how."

There was another minute of absolute silence.

"Wha.. But…" Jaune had trouble articulating a proper response.

Leon just sighed, and sat down, patting the spot next to him. Reluctantly, Jaune joined his mentor.

"It's not easy, unlocking someone's Aura. I heard there are people in Mistral who know how to do it, but outside of that?" He shook his head. "Just think about it for a moment. How many Hunters have you heard of that had their Aura unlocked by someone else?"

Jaune considered it for a few moments, before realizing Leon was right. Every Hunter he met, had always talked about how he, or she, unlocked their own Aura,. No one ever told him someone else did it for them.

"So, what I'm supposed to do now?" Jaune asked to no one in particular.

"Don't worry about it. It will awaken eventually."

The blond boy sighed.

"But what's the point of all this training without Aura? I mean…" He paused, seeing as Leon raised his hand.

"There is a point, and an important one. You see, Aura is not as convenient as many people think. It will make you faster, stronger, and more resilient, sure. But it will be increased based on how strong, fast, and resilient you were already. The stronger your body is, the stronger Aura boost you can handle. If you could lift two kilograms in each hand, with Aura you might be able to lift four. But if you train to the point you are be able to lift ten normally - with Aura you will be able to lift thirty. It's like in some games - the higher your base stats - the better bonuses you get."

"I see… But I can train when I already have my Aura, right?"

"Yeah, but it's harder to progress that way. To use the game analogy again - if without Aura you need to train for two hours to get a single point increase in, let's say, strength, with Aura you would need to train for six. And it gets even harder, the higher your base stats are. Sure, you can you make the training more intense - lift more, or run faster, but there are limits."

He considered something for a moment.

"Another reason to train before unlocking your Aura is more combat related. You see, if you start training with it active, you might get this false sense of security. A lot of kids that got their Aura unlocked day one think themselves invincible. And they had to learn the hard way that it's not the case. If they are lucky, a teacher, parent, or some friend will do it for them. If not, the Grimm will teach them."

"I see." Jaune nodded. They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Jaune got up.

"So, will we be setting camp here? It's still an hour or so before it starts getting dark…"

Leon shook his head.

"Nah. There is a village.. Well more of a small city really, nearby. We will spend the night there, possibly fa ew if we find a job." He winked at Jaune. "Who knows. Maybe we will find someone who knows how to unlock your Aura."

"Sure. As if it would be so convenient. Knowing my luck, I will unlock it by fighting some hellish abomination, far out of my league."

Leon just laughed.

"Maybe. But I get the feeling you will unlock it pretty soon. Now, let's keep going. Soft beds, a warm bath, and food almost as good as yours awaits!"

Jaune chuckled, and picked up his backpack.

"Hey Leon? What is this place called anyway?"

"Kuroyuri."

* * *

 **Yeah, Jaune and Leon, after weeks, possibly months of roughing it in the Wilds, are finally going back to civilization. I'm sure they will receive warm welcome in this lovely city.**


	20. Into the Heart of Darknes

**CH 19**

* * *

The plan was simple. Survive the night, develop a purging agent, deliver it to all four poisoned underground lakes and eliminate any eggs of the new Harrowed, that they'd nicknamed 'Headhunters.'

It went quite well too - Clay used his Semblance to melt and seal the metal door separating the mansion from caves where the Headhunters lived. They still kept watch, and never went anywhere alone. Jaune was making good progress with the purging agent, and everything was looking good.

Right up till around midnight, when Doc - an experienced Hunter in his mid-thirties, the same person who was patching up Jaune and Ori after their fight with the Warper - ran out of the mansion half-naked, screaming at the top of his lungs that he was 'chosen,' and that 'I am about to ascend'.

They managed to catch him and drag back to the mansion before the Ghouls, or Headhunters got to him, but the man was struggling the whole time. They had to bind and gag him. Soon after, Clay started to act strange - talking to himself, calling out to people that weren't there, not reacting when they tried to talk to him. Thankfully, he didn't try to do anything crazy, and returned to normal after Foxy slapped him in the face.

Now every Hunter was gathered in the meeting room. None of them looked good.

"So, how's Doc?" Asked the Old Man.

Clay sighed.

"Clam now. Foxy is keeping an eye on him."

"Good. So, considering the fact that we apparently are starting to hallucinate, I think none of you ladies will argue with the idea that we need to speed up our plans a bit?"

There were a few grunts of approval, before Cap - a silent man with red eyes, red hair, and dressed in simple t-shirt, jeans, and jacket - all in different shades of red - spoke up.

"Do we know what caused these hallucinations?"

"Yes. I ran some blood tests, and it turns out that the concentration of this, let's call it a mutagen, in our blood rose significantly. Mine is at six percent, Clay's was around eight. It wasn't even one percent last time I checked. The concentration in air went up too, to around ten percent."

"Fuck. Any idea how?"

Clay linked his scroll to the screen on one of the walls. Moments after, it displayed a photo of one of the underground lakes.

"Yeah. Look at that." He said, pointing to some strange device sitting in the middle of the lake.

"This is only one pipe with one of these things attached. At first I thought this was a part of the water distribution system - a filter or something like that, but I found plans for the whole installation in the control room, and there is no mention of such device."

He tapped a few buttons on his scroll, and the display changed to a live feed from the cameras.

"What is even more interesting is that it activated only about four hours ago. No idea how, because no one entered the caves, but the fact is it's working now. And producing steam."

The Old Man raised eyebrow at that.

"Steam? What for?"

"Probably to get the mutagen into the air. It's probably more efficient to do it that way than to use candles, or wait for people to drink it in water. Plus, it would make it easier to spread over large areas." All eyes turned to Jaune. They looked like they were considering his words, maybe looking for alternative explanations.

Judging by their expressions, none of them liked the conclusions they reached.

"So, does that mean we have to go down there and destroy that thing?" Cap asked.

"Not necessarily." All eyes again focused on blond Witcher. "We can actually use it to our advantage. If I deliver the antidote to the lake, that device would help spread it instead of the mutagen."

The Old Man nodded.

"Good call. Then I assume the antidote is ready?"

"Almost. Give me about an hour or so, just to make sure everything is in order."

"Good. Now onto our second problem. Headhunters. We know there are at least five of them out there, and more ready to hatch at any moment. We can't leave those fuckers alone, they are far too smart. But with us not knowing how many of them there are, more ready to spawn at any moment, and all the Ghouls around - we are short on options. So here is what we're gonna do. We split into two teams. Toto and Jaune will go to the lake with the vaporizer, or whatever it is called, and purge it. The rest of us will head for the cave where we saw the eggs. We have three jobs - drag any attention away from kid and Toto, kill any Headhunter we find, and destroy as many eggs as we can. As soon as those two are done with their job, we get back, seal the doors, and get the hell out of this city."

"What about eggs above ground?"

The Old Man sighed.

"I would love to take them out. But there is just too many hostiles around, and that's not even taking into account all the Grimm that sure as hell to show up sooner rather than later. We need to get out of here, and let HQ know what happened here. Sure, we are close to Vale, so there won't be too many Grimm, but we are all ragged as it is. This is not a job for seven people."

He looked over them, a serious expression on his face.

"Any more questions?"

There were none, and soon they left the meeting room. Clay caught Jaune as he was leaving, asking if he needed any help with the antidote. The blond refused, and headed back to his laboratory, closed door, sat in the chair and sighed.

Of course, the weird monstrosity that he had been seeing ever since meeting started followed him. He didn't see it actually move, It had just sitting on the table in front of him ever since the Old Man started talking, staring at him with its big eyes and wiggling its four tentacles. When Jaune left the room, it was still sitting there, but now when he closed door and looked at his work table - it was there, still staring at him, and still wiggling.

It was annoying.

With a scowl, he got up and walked up to a chemical aperture sitting on the large table, patiently ignoring the… thing, watching him the whole time. It was just a hallucination anyway.

Right?

With a heavy sigh he picked one beaker, swirled it and watched the greenish liquid inside. He put a few drops of it into several sample tubes, watching how the content reacted to the antidote. A few minutes later, when nothing exploded, he nodded with a smile.

 _Ok, this should do._

But would it? He was basically going in blind. He still had no idea what exactly this mutagen was composed off. This whole antidote was just his wild guess. It could fix things, sure, but it could as easily make them worse.

 _Ok, finally check up time. Did I forget anything?_

He started running through what he knew in his head, looking for anything he could, his eyes wandered around his improvised laboratory. He spared a single glance at his unwanted, and not-existing companion, and scoffed.

This thing was really getting on his nerves. And was it just him, or did it get bigger?

Jaune shook his head. There was no time to be concerned about mere hallucinations. He had very real, and very serious problem at hand, one that he had to give his full attention.

So, the antidote. It was as good as it gets, especially considering the limited equipment, supplies, and time he had to work with. Sure, there wasn't much of it, not nearly enough to purge all four lakes. But for one? Yeah, it should be enough.

Or that was what he was telling himself. Truth was, he wasn't - and couldn't - be sure. There were a million things that could go wrong, his mixture failing to do anything being least of his worries.

Jaune set the beaker with his creation on the table, and focused on it, as if by just staring at it he could figure out if it would work or not.

 _Is there anything else I could do? Any improvements? Maybe make a less concentrated version, so the other guys can drink it? It should help ease some of the symptoms…_

Jaune hummed. The idea was tempting, very tempting, but did they had time? Contrary to what many people believed, making a less concentrated version of medicine was rarely as simple as adding more water to it. There were proportions that had to be kept, and…

He sighed and shook his head. He was just getting himself distracted. He really had to focus, it was no time to be thinking about useless things. Jaune focused on analyzing his antidote. Or tried to.

A black tentacle that slipped around his hand and went into the beaker did a pretty good job of distracting him.

 _Just ignore it._ He told himself, totally not ignoring the now two tentacles wiggling in front of his eyes.

 _They're not real._

He thought, watching as a few more appeared in his field of vision. Some came from the sides, some from above him, and some from under the table.

 _Ignore them._ He ordered himself, fully focused on one, much thicker than others, that started to wrap itself around his right hand. Or was it thicker? Jaune couldn't really tell. It looked that way, but the way it wrapped itself around his finger, each coil right next to another, made it look like it didn't have any depth, like it was just a black ribbon.

It continued to run around his hand, painting his skin pitch-black. When it reached the elbow, Jaune swung around and...

Close.

Too close.

And far too big. Jaune had no idea how something so big could come so close to him - until he remembered that it was just a hallucination. That totally wasn't real, and he totally didn't fell its tentacles wrapping around him, painting him black, and it for sure didn't have blue eyes just like his, and its face certainly didn't resembled his, and…

A small, deformed hand started raising slowly, Jaune observing it in morbid fascination. One finger pointed at him, the black limb getting closer and closer.

Jaune could move. He could turn around, he could walk away, or even _though_ it. It wasn't real after all. He totally could do it.

The finger was close now, very close, filling most of his vision. The only thing except it he could see were blue eyes, so similar - he meant totally unlike his.

Jaune swallowed.

The finger touched his forehead.

His world went black.

* * *

 _The story the villagers had told him had been like all Harrowed origin stories._

 _Fucking horrifying._

 _The young girl, only twelve or so, had been kidnapped and taken to a cabin in the woods by some traveling trader, God help him if he ever found him. No one was entirely sure what had occured in that cabin, but...one could imagine._

 _He shuddered. Some people were worse than Grimm._

 _Once the traveler had his fill of whatever torture he had inflicted on the girl, he locked the door to the cabin and lit it on fire...with her still inside._

 _Now the village had a class 2 Harrowed, because of course it did. These people didn't deserve this, which is why he accepted their meager offer to deal with it. To bring them, and her, peace._

 _Now all he had to do is not die in the process._

 _He began arranging his supplies for the Elixir, not for the first time thinking on how similar the process was to cooking, a skill his sisters ensured he was all too familiar with. Both called for the highest quality ingredients, both required strict adherence to the recipe, and the results of both were greater than the sum of their parts. He'd shared this observation with his master once. He'd snorted, and then eloquently provided his own observation. 'But you don't die in agony if you fuck up a cake. Unless you fuck it up REALLY bad.' He was deep like that, his master._

 _The death by fire, and the charred homes of the villagers, indicated that he was probably dealing with a fire-based Harrow, and he'd chosen his supplies accordingly._

 _Witch Hazel, Aloe, Mallow Root, and Oak Bark, all natural cures for burns the would help shape the nature of the potion, help dull it into a usable, and most importantly, non-lethal form. All of this was to offset the main ingredient, Ice Dust. He carefully measured out the exact about and mixed it in with the paste he'd made of the other ingredients before pouring it into his flask._

 _He hesitated a moment before bringing the bottle to his lips. Fun fact about ingesting high-tier Dust Elixirs… it hurt like a bitch._

 _In for a penny…_

 _He drained the flask in a single go, then immediately began convulsing. The pain and shaking slowly subsiding let him know that he'd managed to get the mixture right. Master would be proud._

 _As he regained his senses, he began walking through the dense forest in the direction that the villagers told him the cabin had once sat._

 _Sure enough, it hadn't taken him long to find her. Standing in the middle of a burned clearing was a Harrowed, with jet black skin and formed in a mockery of what the little girl had once looked like, complete with a snow white dress. There were the fangs and razor sharp claws to consider too, he supposed._

" _Hi Sam."_

 _The matted mop of black hair turned his way and red eyes found his. Her mouth curled up into a grin, revealing row after row of serrated teeth._

 _She screamed, and fire shot out from her in every direction, washing over him like a wave. Not dying again was another confirmation the potion was working. His skin heated and blistered, but held under the onslaught._

 _He was in motion now. Movement born of countless hours of training carried him forward as he weaved between the flames. His black blade was in his hand as he closed the distance, it was the only thing that would matter here._

 _The first cut elicited a shriek as it bit into her arm. She stuck out in protest, but he was no longer there, he danced around her, his blade flicking out again and again, painting the ground black with blood. She spun and flailed wildly, trying to find something to hit, something to share her pain with. As she overreached in one particularly violent attempt, he found what he was looking for. An opening._

 _His blade bit deep, sinking into her side, silencing the next wail in her throat as blood began to spill from her lips._

 _He caught her as she fell. Her face was changing now, gone was the rage and hate, the blackness receded from her, leaving the visage of a scared little girl._

" _It's ok Sam, you're ok. You don't have to hurt anymore." He comforted as he stroked her hair._

" _Just let go."_

 _She opened her mouth one last time, whether to speak or scream he'd never know. Her eyes started to grow dark, and eventually stilled, all traces of life, even this fake one, gone._

 _He closed them for her as her body began to fade. In moments she was gone._

 _His shoulders slumped under an invisible weight_

" _Sorry I was late." He whispered, a lone tear falling down his cheek._

* * *

Jaune woke with a gasp. He looked around, his hand searching for his sword, and his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. After a moment, he calmed down. He was not in the forest, but in monster-infested city.

Good. Very good.

He sighed and got up, one hand massaging his forehead, trying to remember what happened.

 _I was making a final check on the antidote, then that thing showed up, and I passed out…_

He looked around, but there were no traces of his companion. Jaune sighed, closing his eyes, and recalling dream the he had. The dark forest, the small clearing, the burned down house.

And small girl turned into a monster.

He remembered it well. How could he not?

It was first Harrowed he killed on his own, without Leon's help or supervision.

He shook his head to dispel the memories. It wasn't the time, nor the place for this.

Instead he grabbed the beaker with the antidote, and poured it into his canteen. If all went well, he would have no need to hold water in it.

And if things went wrong? Well, then he wouldn't need the water, or anything else, ever again. Happy with his work, he turned towards door. Better to not drag this out any longer. He doubted he was out for long, someone would have come to check on him, but it was best to not let Leon wait - the asshole was…

Jaune paused. Something felt wrong. It's as if…

Ah, right. Leon wasn't there. This wasn't Mistral, this wasn't the small town of Sakurafubuki, that he and Leon visited on a whim, mostly because they were low on supplies, and there were some kind of festival going on there. Jaune couldn't recall what exactly, but he was sure that…

The blond hunter shook his head, dispeling these thoughts. He was getting distracted again. This wouldn't do. With sigh, and another shake of his head, he opened the door, stepping into the corridor.

The first thing that he noticed was the smell of blood.

Second - the bodies lying around.

Third was the boney blade flying towards his face. He barely managed to duck under it, but he could do nothing to protect himself from the second one. It send him sprawling on the ground. Before he could recover, both mantis-like limbs came down, one piercing his right shoulder, the second going straight through his stomach.

Jaune somehow managed to not cry out in pain, instead he tried desperately to reach something, anything to use as weapon.

The Headhunter that was pinning him to the floor raised his head, and let out a strange howl they heard the first night they spent in the city. It was cut short when a black sword removed its head.

Jaune gasped in relief, even though he was still pinned to the ground. He looked up at the Old Man, and even managed a small smile.

It died an ugly death when his savior collapsed right next to him. The old Witcher was in terrible shape. Multiple wounds covered his whole body. He was missing his right eye, and left arm at the shoulder. There was nasty cut wound on his stomach, and his left thigh was pierced.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but the Old Man beat him to it.

"Finally decided to show yourself kiddo?"

Jaune tried to answer, but discovered he couldn't say a world.

"We were attacked like half an hour ago. Though they got you first when you didn't show up."

Jaune could only stare at him.

The Old Man chuckled.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter now. Everyone else is dead. And by the looks of it we both will be joining them soon."

Jaune scowled. How could this be happening? How could he pass out, just when his team was attacked. If only he was awake to help them. The blond hunter managed to free himself, and crawled to the older man. He tried to stem the bleeding from his wounds, but it was looking bad. Very bad.

The older man let out a chuckle, that turned into coughing.

"Don't bother. I'm done for. We both are."

Jaune tried to tell him to not give up, that he would get them both out of there.. the Old Man just shook his head, and pointed to the side, to a small balcony overlooking the entrance hall. Jaune crawled to the edge and peeked over it.

Too many.

There were too many of them. They filled the whole hall, and through the busted doors he could see many, many more milling outside. Jaune's brain struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

"They all hatched. Not long ago, but we were overwhelmed before we could even think what to do. Guess that antidote of yours came a bit too late."

Jaune could barely hear the older man. He barely noticed the footsteps coming from behind him, the Old Man's weak struggles, and the sound of something sharp piercing something soft and meaty.

He ignored the creature that walked up to him. All he could do was stared at what was before him.

Too Late. Too weak.

Wasn't that the story of his life? He always was late for an important meeting. He was always too weak to get the job done when it mattered. Why had even tried to become a Hunter? He knew full well he wasn't cut out for this. But he tried anyway, and people paid the price for his mistakes.

Well, it looks like his incompetence finally caught up to him. There was no way he could get out of this situation. There were no one to save him, no one to suffer the consequences of his failures for him.

Well, there were, and they did. But it was not enough this time.

 _Well, I guess this is it._ He thought, turning on his back. At the very least he would look at his killer.

Yeah, this was it. He could struggle, try to drag it out. He might even be able to kill the Headhunter in front of him - but what about the hundreds he saw below? It was best to cease struggling, to just let it go.

With a tired sigh, Jaune closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

 _Yeah, sure._

His eyes snapped open, and with a roar, he pushed himself up, turning and tackling the creature that…

"Woah, easy there." Called out a surprised Clay.

Jaune blinked a few times, and looked around. He was still in his laboratory. A confused and worried Clay was kneeling next him, canteen filled with water in one hand, the other on his chest. Foxy was kneeling on his other side, a wet piece of clothing in her hand.

The Old Man was leaning on door frame, his usual scowl adorning his face.

"Finally awake, princess? I swear, if you're gonna take nap every time…"

"Oh, shut it. We don't have time for your bickering Old Man." Jaune growled, getting up. He half expected the older man to refute him for that, but to his surprise, the old Witcher just smiled, cleary amused.

"We got a lot work to do, and we gotta do it fast. This thing gets more potent by the minute. The antidote is ready, we can go anytime."

The Old Man nodded with approval.

"Good. Let's get this over with."

* * *

The Old Man looked over his team, or what was left of it. Six people, seven counting Foxy, who insisted she was going too. He wasn't sure if bringing her along was a good idea - she looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment.

Then again, none of them looked too good. Doc somehow pulled himself together, but he was still shooting nervous glances around. Cap was calm, the only person who still hadn't had any hallucinations. Or was very good at pretending. Toto looked relaxed of all things. Whether this was confidence, or arrogance - only time would tell.

His eyes drifted to Jaune, the youngest of them all. And yet again he considered whatever or not let the kid come with them. He was clearly on his last leg, if the harsh breathing, bags under his eyes, and the way he was swaying were any indication.

The only reason he was bringing him with them was that there was no safe place to leave him at. And they needed every pair of hands for this to work out.

"How it's going?" He asked.

"Almost done." Clay's voice sounded from behind him. He was working on unsealing the doors to the caves below them. The Old Man sighed. If he was one of these hero types, this would be moment to give some epic, inspirational speech.

Well, he wasn't a hero. He was a professional, here to do a job. As was everyone else.

 _Well, I guess saying a few words couldn't hurt._

"Ok, since I know you all were taking trips to La La land, I will repeat the plan for you, using simple words. Kid and Toto, you go straight for the lake with the vaporizer, or whatever that thing is. You put the antidote in, and you join back with us. We will head straight for the Headhunters nest, destroy the eggs, kill anything that gets in our way, and get out. The kid warned us that air down there will probably contain much more of the mutagen, so we need to act fast." Once we are done, we are getting out of this damn city. No looking back, no stopping to grab souvenirs, we are heading straight for Vale. The people there need to hear about what happened here. Everything clear?"

They all nodded.

"Clay?"

The sound of metal doors falling on stone floor was his answer.

"Move." He ordered.

They passed through the doors one by one, going deeper and deeper into the dark cave. Soon the only thing left was sound of they footsteps, but it too was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

The cave was dark, damp, and unnaturally hot. Jaune decided that it must have been like, the third worst cave he had ever been in.

 _At least it's not too big. And I have map._

That was a plus. A minus was that his companion was giving him the creeps. He hadn't said a word ever since they entered the cave. Even before that he was eerily quiet. And that smile of his - it was as if he knew something no one else did, and it amused him.

 _Or he is hallucinating, and sees something pleasant. Lucky bastard._

Jaune on the other hand we seeing his guardian devil again. He freaked out the first time he saw him, sitting in the middle of the corridor, the only visible thing was its glowing, blue eyes. He stabbed it, just to make sure it wasn't real.

Sure enough, Eclipse passed through it without any resistance, electing a raised eyebrow from his companion.

After around thirty minutes, they were approaching the target. He could hear the occasional gunshot, indicating that the other group had engaged the enemy already.

Jaune looked over the cave they had in front of them - it wasn't too big, most of it was taken up by the lake. There was a giant pipe coming out of it, and disappearing into one of the walls, and the strange device they had seen on the cameras.

"Guess this is it. I don't see any eggs, or other entrances. Can you keep watch on this tunnel? I only need a minute."

Toto noded, and Jaune started walking towards lake, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Here, drink this. It's hot in here, wouldn't want you to collapse." Said Toto, offering him his canteen. Jaune hesitated only for a second. A cold, slightly sour liquid washed over his throat, bringing instant relief.

"Thanks." He muttered, turning around and heading straight for lake, trying, and failing, to ignore the thing that floated around half a meter before him, at about eye level.

He sighed and looked around, just to make sure there were no enemies waiting to ambush him. Seeing nothing, he kneeled at the edge of the lake, and pulled a sizable bottle made of dark glass. He uncorked it, ready to pour its contents into lake. It was hot here, very hot, no doubt the fault of this damn device. His vision swam, and he could swear he could smell cherry.

It was ridiculous of course, they were deep underground, but the smell was there, as were the voices. He couldn't make out any words, it was just a hum in his head, and coupled with the exhaustion, heat, and this damn thing still floating in front of him, he was more than ready to finally get this all over with and get the hell out of this city. Jaune's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. His vision was blurry, but he could swear that it had changed somehow…

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was lying on his side on the not so cold stone floor.

"You are a tough one. I was sure it would knock you out sooner." He heard Toto's voice call out. He held the black bottle Jaune had drank from just a few moments ago. He considered it for a moment, then threw it in the corridor they just come through.

"Sorry about that." He said, sitting in front of Jaune, a small smile on his lips. "But I can't let you ruin everything. I'll be honest with you here, young man, I had my doubts when I saw you entering the bullhead. I thought you are just some stupid kid, in way over his head. But I must admit, I was wrong. You handled yourself formidably out there." He bowed his head, and it might be the heat, hallucinations, exhaustion, or something else, but Jaune could swear he saw respect in Toto's eyes.

"To be honest, that Warper was supposed to take out the Old Man. Plan was for you to die, and it gathering enough power to be able to kill rest of our team. To think you would come up with such a bold strategy." He shook his head, chuckling.

Jaune glared at the older man. He didn't trust his throat to be able to produce words.

"You are probably wondering why I'm doing this? What possibly could I gain?" He smiled, and chuckled again.

"I have confession to make Jaune. When I first allied myself with Master, it was for the lowest possible reason - money. You see, a man with my standing has needs, needs that aren't cheap. I accepted his proposal only because he was paying very well, I cared nothing for his vision. Oh, how much of a fool I was!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

He looked back at Jaune with a friendly smile.

"It took me a few months to realize how great of a man he was. A man with a vision! I should be honored that I could assist him in his great venture! When I finally saw the truth, I did everything I could to help him achieve his goal."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. It was a hard choice to let the muscle-relaxing agent that was in Toto's drink take effect, but since it wasn't anything lethal, Jaune figured he could maybe learn something interesting if he pretended he was caught off-guard.

It was a risky move, but it looked like it was paying off. Toto apparently loved the sound of his own voice, and was apparently allied with the bastard responsible for all of this.

 _Just let him talk. Maybe he will spill some info that will let me find that bastard._

Toto paused, and was now looking at Jaune, his head tilted to the side, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You know what Jaune? I respect you. Really. You achieved a lot in these four years you were traveling with Leon." Some of the surprise Jaune felt must have shown on his face, because Toto chuckled again. Jaune decided he would punch him, two additional times, just because he had to listen to the annoying sound.

"Oh, yes I know all about you and your teacher. You two brought no end of trouble to Master. Well, did you know that the Wraith in Heartbreak Ridge you killed was the first successful Ascension? Master was heartbroken when he learned the poor girl perished." Toto shook his head, sadness clear on his face.

 _Ok, this confirmed it. He is crazy too._

"He wanted to do some terrible things to you, you know? But I stopped him. It would have broke him. He is such a gentle man, doing things like he had planned out of rage..." Toto shook his head. "He would never forgive himself. I convinced him that you were not evil, but misguided. That you did what you thought was best."

Toto chuckled again. Jaune forced himself to stay down.

"He accepted it easily. It took us some time, but we finally came up with a plan to make you see the truth. You see, Master developed some attachment to you. He said you remind him of someone he was close to in the past."

Jaunes eyes widened. Could it be…?

Toto laughed, and shook his head.

"Oh, but I'm getting distracted. I wouldn't want to bore you."

 _Oh, please, by all means, continue._

"Afterall, I have to take care of the rest of our team. Can't let them destroy all of Master's creations, right?" He said with a smile.

"I don't know. We are doing pretty well, if I say so myself."

Toro whipped around, drawing his weapon - a long dagger, with a black and green blade. It looked to be Dust-infused, but Jaune couldn't see anything indicating it was mecha-shifting.

"Oh my. This is surprising. What brings you here, my friend?"

"Well, the Old Man was worried what take you two so long. We were done with nest, so he sent me to check up on you. Looks like it was a good call."

Toto just laughed easily.

"Oh no, I assure you that everything is under control. Your concern is totally unwarranted."

Clay shot him a deadpan stare.

"Toto, cut the crap. I'm not in the mood for mind games. Jaune is lying there, and I was there long enough to hear you confess to multiple kidnappings, assisting in murders, assisting a wanted criminal, and to top it all - planning on killing all of us. So stop treating me like idiot, ok?'

Toto gasped in shock, and for some reason, Jaune was certain man really was surprised.

"Kill?" He repeated, clearly shocked. His face twisted, and after a moment he burst out laughing. It wasn't mad cackling, or anything like that. He was genuinely amused, laughing his guts out.

"Kill? No, dear… No! Why would I want to kill you? I admit, the thought crossed my mind, and I might even have tried it at first. But it's no longer a case, I assure you."

He smiled. A genuine, friendly smile. Jaune could feel his heartbeat speeding up. This man was clearly insane.

"Why would I want to kill you? Afterall, we all were chosen. And soon, we will Ascend."

Jaune had enough. He locked his eyes with Clay, and made subtle cutting movement with his hand. Fortunately, Clay caught up on what he meant. He moved to the side, pointing his weapon at Toto.

"Well, you forgive me if I don't believe you. And I don't recall applying for this ascension of yours. So how about you drop your weapon and surrender quietly."

As expected, Toto turned with Clay, keeping what he believed to be the only threat in front of him. Soon enough, Jaune was behind him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. This dagger is an important item, handed to me by Master."

"Well, then I'll have to take it away from you."

Toto smirked.

"I'd like so see you try. You are wounded, exhausted, and low on Aura. And on top of that, my Semblance allows me attack at range. You don't stand a chan…" He was interrupted, when Jaune tackled him from behind. Clay followed, intending to pin the other Hunter to the ground.

A sudden shockwave sent them both backwards.

Toto got up, panting heavily.

"My, my, what a surprise. Did you lie to us? Your records in the Company database suggested your Semblance is some form of poison immunity. That's why I prepared something that wasn't poison to knock you out."

He looked at Jaune with narrowed eyes. There were no anger in them, only surprise.

"And you told us the same earlier. I assume that was a lie?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Not at all. All I said was that my Semblance makes me immune to poisons. I never said that it was the only thing it could do."

Toto laughed.

"Ha. Good move, young man. Always keep a few secrets up your sleeve. Well, it won't matter once you Ascend, but I respect it nonetheless."

Clay scoffed.

"Cut the crap Toto. That little stunt cleary cost you a lot. No way you'll be able to pull it off again, without resting. And we won't give you enough time."

His words went entirely ignored. Toto was still staring at Jaune, considering something.

"You know, we really hoped it would work…" He began. Clay made to attack, but Jaune stopped him.

 _Let him talk,_ he mouthed to his friend.

Clay nodded, and focused back on their opponent.

"We figured that if it was someone close to you, you would understand. That's why we picked that girl."

Jaune stilled. All thought left him. He forget everything - the cave, the Headhunters, the whole damned city. All he could feel was heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. All he could hear was the beating of his heart, louder, and louder by the second.

"Yes, we were so sure it would work. Master put extra effort into making sure her Ascension would go off without a hitch." He shook his head, sadly.

"She was such a sweet girl. It would have went perfectly, if only you had waited a bit more. But you stopped the process at the most important moment. She couldn't move on, and I'm sure she didn't want to come back. Poor, poor girl."

Toto's eyes snapped to Jaune's.

"You killed her, didn't you?"

"NO! She is still alive! You failed, I saved her!"

Toto titled his head to the side.

"Really? Because I'm sure that there was no coming back from place she went to. You sure you…"

That did it. All the anger that festered inside him ever since that incident burst out in a mighty roar. Jaune was on Toto in the blink of an eye, Eclipse slashing, trusting, hungirly looking to bite into soft flesh. There is nothing else, only him, his sword, and ma… _monster_ in front of him. The monster that dared to hurt his Sam. And he.. No, _it_ would pay for this.

Jaune was completely oblivious to his exhaustion, Clay's desperate cries for him to calm down, Toto's chuckles and taunts, or the many cuts he received. All he cared about was plunging his sword into his enemy's heart.

It all came to a stop suddenly. Toto slipped, or was tripped by Clay, Jaune didn't know, nor cared. Seeing his chance, the blond mounted older Hunter, pinning his arms with his knees, and raised his sword for a finishing blow.

Something exploded, sending both him and Clay back again. Toto staggered to his feet, cleary out of breath.

Jaune did the same, Clay's hand on his shoulder only thing stopping him from charging back in.

"WHERE IS HE?! TELL ME, WHERE IS HE!?" He roared.

Toto chuckled.

"My, my. So much anger. I'm afraid that I can't tell you the whereabouts of Master, when you are in such state."

Jaune tried to break free of Clay's grasp, but the man was too strong.

"TELL ME!" He roared again

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but our talk is over." The traitorous Hunter smiled, reversing the grip on his dagger and raising it in front of him. Both Clay and Jaune tensed, ready for another assault.

"My name is Toto." He exclaimed, an excited smile on his lips.

"And I have been CHOSEN!" He bellowed, plunging dagger into his own heart.

Both Jaune and Clay stared dumbfounded, as he collapsed, corruption spreading at an astounding peace from the spot where the dark and green blade entered the body.

Jaune was on him a second after, grabbing his collar and shaking him violently.

"Where is he?! Tell me you asshole, where I can find him? TELL ME!"

Clay grabbed him.

"That's enough. He's dead."

Jaune didn't hear him. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart. This bastard knew where the monster responsible for all of this was, and he wasn't telling. Well, Jaune would make him talk - one way or another.

His fist first hit Toto's face, then his chest, then face again. Clay was trying to stop him, but Jaune was breaking free of his grasp every time. Toto knew, and didn't want to talk. So Jaune would make him talk, by any means necessary. Couldn't Clay's see that it was important? Why was he trying to stop him? Was he on Toto's side too?

Jaune paused, realizing that Clay was no longer trying to hold him. He turned around, to see his friend collapsed.

That snapped him back to reality.

He was next to him in an instant, looking over his body.

 _Damn, this is bad._

Clay was covered in had a nasty, deep cut on his stomach and right leg. Judging by how uneven his chest was, and labored breath, he had to have broken ribs.

"Oi, Clay, stay with me." Jaune called, seeing as older man's eyes starting to close. He reached to his belt, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled out a small bottle.

"Here, drink this. It will help." Clay was barely conscious at this point, but did as asked. Aura Enhancer would help him recover - but only if man had any Aura left. And judging by his state - he either didn't have any, or had very little.

"Talk to me. What happened. Don't tell me it was Toto who did this to you."

Clay coughed a few times, then smiled weakly.

"That stuff tasted horrible." He managed to get out, before coughing again.

"Clay. What happened?"

He managed a weak chuckle.

"I might have bluffed a little earlier. When I said we were done with Headhunters, and I was sent to collect you two."

Jaune didn't say anything, instead pulling out a few bandages, and started tending to Clay's wounds. It wasn't enough, but if he could at least stop the bleeding…

"It was going well. We got the jump on them, killed two before they could react. Then the rest of them started roaring, and Ghouls started to come out of the lake. No idea how they got there, but we were pushed back. We retreated to the corridor, but it went in, and collapsed on our heads." The man paused to catch his breath, and Jaune continued tending to his wounds. He bandaged the worst ones, but there were a lot of smaller ones.

 _Well, his Aura will deal with it. Now all I need to do is keep him awake._

"What happened then?" He asked, looking him in the eyes.

Clay winced, and tried to push himself up. Jaune threw his arm around his shoulder, and helped the older Hunter stand up.

"Me and Cap managed to get out. And one of Headhunters. We managed to kill it, but it... spit something at Cap, and he started to turn. No idea what happened with rest, but…" He didn't finish, but then didn't really have to. Even if they survived the collapse, they would be trapped in a cave with multiple Ghouls and Headhunters.

Jaune sighed, and started walking towards the cave's exit. When they reached the small room, with several corridors coming out of it, Jaune paused, and laid Clay down.

"Let's take a bit of rest here." He said, pulling out his map. If he was reading it correctly, they were in the central room of this cave system, That meant they were fairly close to the exit - and relative safety.

"Ok, we are close. Just a bit more. You think you can walk?"

Clay chuckled, and got up.

"Yeah. whatever you gave me, it seems to be working. Let's get…" He paused and sighed.

Jaune sighed too.

The sounds of footsteps were quiet, but clear, and coming from the corridor leading to the Headhunters' nest. And there were too many of them. Far too many.

"Well, I guess this is it." Jaune pulled Eclipse. There were no way they could outrun Ghouls in the state they were in.

Clay considered him for a moment, then pushed him towards corridor leading to the exit.

"Go. I'll buy you some time."

"Fuck you. I'm not going anywhere."

The older man sighed.

"Jaune. I can barely stand. Even if we get out of this cave, I won't be able to leave this city. You still have strength, and someone has to report what happened. This is the best choice."

Jaune knew that. He knew full well. But how could he just leave this man to die? It was just.. wrong. Maybe if the stayed together, they could somehow...

"Jaune." Clay place one hand on his shoulder. Looking at him with a small smile.

"I-I got it. You want me to say anything to someone?" He asked, turning towards the exit.

"Nah. I make it a point to take care of my business before going on a job. Plus, I'm single."

Jaune nodded, and ran off.

Clay sighed, and walked into the same corridor, aware of the footsteps getting closer and closer. About two meters in, near a small turn, he paused. This was as good a place as he could get to make his last stand.

He raised his weapon, and smirked.

"Come on fuckers. Let's see how many of you will it take to get past me."

The Harrowed don't make him wait for long.

* * *

 _Well, That was anticlimactic. Good thing there is no one around to see this._

It turned out it took only one. The Headhunter was neither especially big, or menacing - it looked just as any other. Clay still managed to hold it off for almost a full minute, before his wounded leg gave out.

At least kid should be out by now.

He sighed and looked up at the beast. It was observing him, tilting its head from one side to other. Why it still hadn't finished him off, he didn't know, but he wasn't complaining.

The more time it wasted with him, the more time it gave Jaune to get away.

The beast suddenly pulled back, and raised on scythe-like arm.

 _Well, looks like this is it._

He stared straight in its eyes. Just one last act of defiance before…

… a black sword removed its head.

Clay blinked a few times, starting at the now dead Harrowed. Then looked up, to meet blue, tired eyes.

"I thought we agreed you need to run?" He asked.

Jaune shrugged.

"I changed my mind. The fact that the exit is blocked by some rubble might have something to do with that."

Clay winced.

"Oh. That's unfortunate."

Jaune shrugged, and helped Clay up.

"I left a message on my scroll, and managed to push it to other side. They should send a second investigation party eventually. I hope they find it.

"So… Now we just try to kill as many as we can?"

Jaune smirked.

"Not yet old man. I checked the map, and we might have one more way out. Remember the underground river that fills this lake?"

Clay nodded.

"Apparently it comes to the surface not far from here. And they had boats ready, as a way to evacuate if the town was attacked."

Clay smiled.

"Well, lead the way."

Jaune nodded and headed first. They walked in silence, ears straining for any sound. Complete silence, only interrupted by their breaths and footsteps did nothing to calm them down.

 _Well, that's embarrassing. Looks like it will be the kid saving me._

* * *

By the time they reached the right cave they were totally exhausted. As soon as they entered the room, and confirmed that there were no Harrowed in there, they collapsed on the floor.

"So, what's now?" Asked clay when he caught his breath.

"We look for a ladder, or something like that. It should be somewhere…" He didn't get a chance to finish, before a black figure jumped at them. They managed to roll out of the way, and get up.

The Headhunter screeched at them, looking from one to other, apparently undecided which one would be the easier target. It eventually decided to attack Jaune.

Its been blades collided with Eclipse, pushing the blond Hunter back. He stumbled, but Clay intervened before the Harrowed could take advantage of the opening. The older Hunter was too wounded and exhausted to last long, but he managed to draw the beast's attention for just a few seconds.

Enough for Jaune to rejoin the fight. He basically tackled the Headhunter, his sword piercing its surprisingly soft skin. It howled, and hopped around, its scythe-like hands catching Jaune in the chest, throwing him back.

A second later it was pinned to the ground by Clay. The older man used his whole body weight to hold the monster down - but it was more out of exhaustion than intent.

But the Headhunter proved far more tenacious than they expected. It somehow managed to push itself up. Clay, exhausted as he was, did his best to stop it, but eventually was pushed back, and fell.

The Harrowed slumped to its downed opened and raised its hand.

A black sword erupted from its chest, he threw himself at beast. He manage to push it a few steps with the impact alone, but simply didn't have the strength to do anything else, and collapsed.

The Headhunter looked down at the two blades piercing its body. It let out a strange, gurgling noise, staggered, and fell to its knees.

Jaune sighed. They somehow they made it…

A strange, black substance flew out of Headhunter's mouth and hit Clay in the chest. Jaune watched with terror as it _sank_ into man's skin. The older Hunter didn't make any indication it hurt him, just stared at it with a resigned look at his face.

"Well, that's inconvenient." He said eventually.

"Clay, what…"

"That was the same thing they did to Cap." He answered with a heavy sigh.

Jaune just stared at him blankly. So… that was it? Just like that? No, they'd come too far. Surely there was something he could do to…

"Jaune, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Cap changed after just a minute or two. You don't have much time."

"Much time… for what?" The blond asked dumbly.

Clay shot him a small smile, but it turned into a wince, when black stains started to appear at his chest.

"You know full well."

Jaune just shook his head. Clay sighed, and looked him in the eyes.

"Jaune. I'm done for. If you do nothing I'll turn into one of these monsters, and I'll kill you. I don't want that to happen."

Jaune staggered to his feet, his mind racing. There had to be something he could do. Anything.

"Jaune. I don't want to turn into a monster." Clay crawled to the dead Headhunter, and pulled Eclipse from its body.

"Please. Help me Jaune." He said, handing the sword to the young man.

Jaune closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. He opened them, and looked into Clay's eyes. There was no fear in them, just acceptance.

"Yeah. Sure." He accepted his sword, and pressed it against Clay's chest.

"See ya kid. I hope not too soon." Clay said with a smile.

"Yeah. See you around, Clay." Jaune pushed, painting the rock red. Clay let out a single sigh, and slumped forward.

"I'm the guide for the Damned, I'm the Ferryman of lost souls…" he began his chant, his prayer.

After he was done, he let out a tired sigh and turned around.

"Thanks for waiting." He said, straight in the eyes of another Headhunter. The beast's head was only about ten centimeters from his face, its eyes observing him with curiosity.

Jaune noted more black shapes filing into the cave.

 _I guess we'll see each other rather soon, Clay. Quite embarrassing with that show we put on, eh?_

Jaune waited for a few moments for the creature to do something, but it just watched him.

"So…" He began rolling his shoulders.

"We doing this, or what?"

The Headhunter hissed.

They both moved at the same time.

Jaune ducked under one bone scythe, the second catching him in the left shoulder. Eclipse pierced the Headhunter's neck, spraying him in its blood. Before its body even hit the ground, the next one was on Jaune, and then another and another, and another.

His armor blocked most of the hits to his body, allowing Jaune to focus solely on defending his head. It didn't amount to much - he was soon pushed against the wall, and brought down.

 _Should have asked for the helmet to go with this armor._

He thought bitterly. Creatures surrounding him didn't seem in too much of a hurry to kill him. They were just staring, screeching, and poking him from time to time. Not that Jaune was paying much attention to it. He was just too exhausted. All he wanted, was for this to end.

So when he noticed one of them raising its arm, he let out a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes.

The bone arm went down, and his world went black.

* * *

A thirteen-year old Jaune woke up with a gasp. He rubbed his eyes, and checked his scroll. It was six in the morning. His eyes narrowed. He had a feeling that there was something important he was forgetting about…

Ah, yes! Today was his exam for combat prep school. He better start getting ready. It would be embarrassing to be late.

 _But man, that was a weird dream I had._

He thought, pulling his shirt on.

* * *

 **Well, this is it for this chapter. Not much to talk about. Everything is under control. No need to panic.**

 **JJD: SSSSSAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!**


	21. Aftermath

**Welcome to Ch 20 of TPA! JJD like usual works hard to make it readable.**

* * *

Jaune couldn't help but grin. Well, it's not like he tried very hard. All those hours he put into practicing, all those sleepless nights spent studying. It wasn't easy. He couldn't count how many times he wanted to just give up. But how could he? After all the help he got from his family? It would be insulting to give anything less than his best.

And he did it. He achieved his dream. He received a letter of acceptance yesterday evening. So naturally, whole family decided to celebrate it, by going on a picnic. Jaune considered refusing, but quickly changed his mind. He was already accepted, so there was no reason to study anymore, and he really was neglecting his sisters for too long. Spending one day just hanging out with his family wouldn't hurt, especially considering he would be leaving soon. Sure, he would be coming back for holidays and vacations, but still, he will be spending even less time with his family that he was up till now.

He smiled, watching them talking and laughing together. He paused for a moment, just watching as they climbed a small hill.

 _I already miss you._ He thought, smiling wistfully. He looked at his parents, his sisters, burning their happy faces into his memory. They stopped atop the hill,and waved for him to join them.

Jaune sighed. It was so peaceful, so nice.

So wrong.

He looked up to his family again. They were watching him with curious expressions, wondering why he stopped.

"I'm sorry." He said aloud, not sure if it even mattered anymore. He could feel the temperature drop, even though the sun was still high in sky. He turned around, just to see the path they walked just few moments ago gone, covered in black nothingness.

"Jaune." He heard his father call out. He looked up at the older man. His father, his role model. His Hero.

The older man just smiled and nodded once. Jaune smiled back, and let out a stuttering breath.

"Sorry, guys. I gotta go." They all nodded, sending him reassuring nods.

Jaune turned towards his family, basking in warm sunlight.

And then he took a step back.

Darkness swallowed him instantly.

* * *

 _My name is Jaune Arc, age 17, son of Arthur and Victoria Arc. I'm a first year student at Beacon Academy, member and leader of team JNPR. My partner is Pyrrha Nikos, my other teammates are Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. I've been an official WITCHER for six months. I'm recording this message on Sunday, one twenty-four am. I'm part of one of three teams sent to investigate a distress signal from the city of Spring Valley. We set off on Friday, around five pm. We reached our destination around six pm. Upon landing, we encountered an unusually high concentration of Ghouls - far above what was expected._

 _We had to spend the night in an abandoned house. The next day we managed to reach the mayor's mansion. We found no survivors, only the bodies of two hunters from the other teams. After a short investigation, we discovered that some kind of biological weapon was used to poison the town's water supply. On top of that, we spotted a new type of Harrowed, that we nicknamed "Headhunter'. This creatures are extremely intelligent, and presumably have some form of stealth ability._

 _We attempted to purge the underground lakes that serve as the town's water supply, and destroy the Headhunters' nest, but we failed. As of the recording of this message all Hunters send to this city, expect of myself and Clay, are dead - fourteen confirmed, the rest presumed. The two of us will attempt to escape using the underground river. If you are a member of the second investigation party - you have to hurry. Whatever was used causes the victims to die, and turn into Ghouls if the victim falls asleep with no Aura. After around thirty hours of exposure, we started hallucinating. I'm leaving all the intel I can on this scroll, in the canteen next to it is a purging agent I developed._

The message ended, leaving the motionless face of a young man with blond hair and blue, bloodshot eyes. He was obviously exhausted, dirty, and there were a few bruises on his face. His voice was quiet, his breath heavy.

The hand holding the scroll squeezed it a bit harder.

"Don't worry Peter. This message wasn't recorded too long ago. We will find him."

The old Witcher chuckled.

"I know. I just hope he left a few of these "Headhunters' for me. It would be a shame to come all the way here, and not find any prey worth hunting."

Doctor Oobleck smiled. His friend tried his best to appear nonchalant, but he could see how nervous the old Witcher was. Well, Oobleck couldn't blame him. This whole situation was a mess, and one of their students was in the middle of it.

"We are through!" The voice sounded. Both of them were at the now cleared, entrance to caves in an instant.

Peter rolled his head, a vicious grin on his face.

"Alright boys, lets get this over with. Remember - our priority is rescuing any survivors. Eliminate any hostiles you come across, but let's not take too long. You all heard the message from young Jaune. Move!"

And as if to set an example, he quickly dashed into darkness of the caves below.

Forty Hunters followed close behind.

* * *

It was dark. So dark that he couldn't see anything… or was it? Jaune wasn't really sure. It was more like there simply wasn't anything there.

Where this 'there' was, he had no idea.

 _Pretty bland for a hallucination. Shouldn't something have happened by now?_

He sighed. He wasn't sure how it worked, since he was pretty sure this was just his imagination. Jaune looked around yet again, still seeing nothing. This 'waiting room' was something he ended up in a few times already. Usually, he spent only few seconds here, before the next vision started. Most of them were pleasant ones, where he achieved something great, was living happy life and so on.

It usually took him a bit o realize that they weren't reality. It was all pretty messed up.

But hey, he wasn't going to argue with hallucination logic. Because this had to be hallucination. The only other alternative would be that he…

 _Well, If I'm dead, and this is afterlife it seems terribly… empty._

He looked around, but saw nothing but neverending blackness.

"Why do you keep coming back?"

He turned to the source of voice and smiled. He had a vague feeling he should be surprised, or maybe startled, but he felt nothing like that.

"Hi Sam." He greeted. The young girl huffed and crossed her arms. She was wearing her favorite white dress and straw hat. Her green eyes narrowed, promising disaster if he didn't gave her a satisfying answer right this instant.

Jaune just shrugged, and ran hand through his hair.

"It just felt… wrong to stay there."

"You were happy."

He chuckled.

"Yeah. But it was false." Another shrug and another chuckle "Beside, I feel like I still have things to do out there. And" He smirked at girl in front of him. "You wouldn't let me live it down if I just gave up like that."

She blushed a little and mumbled something, turning her head to the side.

"That being said…" he trailed off, drawing her attention back to him.

"Am I dead?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, his hand running through his hair.

She just shrugged.

"No idea. Maybe. I know only as much as you do. I'm just product of your imagination afterall."

Jaune sighed. So he was presumably dead, and talking with himself. WIth the other him being little girl.

Just great.

"But why you? Why I'm imagining you?" He added when ghost….vision...whatever Sam was now, looked at him quizzically.

She taped her lips a few times with her index finger, lost in thought. Which probably meant he was lost in thought.

 _I… I better stop thinking too hard about it._

"Probably because we are very close, and you've been thinking about me a lot lately. As you should." She said with a haughty voice.

He tilted his head to the side.

"Wait, shouldn't it be someone from my family then? I pretty sure that…" he trailed off under the suddenly arctic glare of green eyes.

"Jaune Arc," she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, and somehow managing to look down on him, despite how much taller he was. "Are you implying I'm not good enough to appear in your thoughts in presumably the last moments of your life?"

Jaune laughed. It was such a.. Sam thing to do that he couldn't help himself.

"Of course you are." He said, rubbing her head. He briefly wondered what happened to her hat, but considering that they were now standing on sunny plain, instead of the black nothingness, he decided to think about it too hard.

"So, what now?" He asked, looking around.

"I guess you have to make your final decision. You either go there." She said, pointing at the entrance to a dark, damp, and very unappealing cave, that definitely wasn't there when Jaune looked just a second ago. "Or there." Her finger pointed at small path leading towards barely visible buildings on the horizon.

Jaune sighed, and turned towards the cave.

"You sure? It looks painful. And hard."

Jaune chuckled.

"I know. That's life for you. But I can't just give up like that. I have to push on, I have to survive. For my friends, my family. " He looked her over, a small smile on his lips. "For you. The real you."

She tilted her head to the side.

"How do you know that there still is a 'real' me? You have a memory of us living together after the incident, but how can you be sure it's real?"

He shrugged.

"I don't. And I can't, but it's all the more reason to go back." Another shrug, and a quiet chuckle. "Besides, I don't care what that bastard Toto said, I'm sure you're fine."

She hummed, then smirked.

"How do you know I'm not just a product of your imagination? That your subconsciousness created me out of your desire to have a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman keeping you in check?"

He laughed.

"No way. My imagination is nowhere near as good to create someone like you." He shook his head and approached the cave's entrance. He could feel an unnatural cold coming from it. His legs trembled in sudden exhaustion. He sighed.

 _This is going to suck SO hard._

Then he walked into the cave.

* * *

Jaune's eyes snapped open, in time to see a bone hook coming down on his face. He managed to swat it aside with his forearm. He grabbed the overextended limb and pulled.

The Headhunter lost its balance and fell on him, Jaune wrapping his arms around its neck, using the creature as shield. They struggled for a few moments, Jaune tried to push himself up using the wall of cave as support, and break the monster's neck at the same time.

Unfortunately, between his exhaustion, and the Headhunter's surprising strength, the creature managed to free itself from his grip. Jaune sighed, slumping to the ground. This was hopeless, he didn't even have the strength to stand. Even if he somehow managed to kill that one, there were five more standing around him, and more filling into the cave.

 _Well, at least I tried._

He thought, watching as the Headhunter raised both of its arms, and howled loudly. Then it stopped and looked down, towards its chest. Jaune looked too, not sure if what he was seeing was real, or just another hallucination. But considering the Harrowed was looking at it too, it had to be real, right?

A human fist retracted with a wet noise, leaving a perfectly round hole in the creature's chest, it stumbled, and fell apart, cut cleanly in half from the top of its head to the bottom.

Jaune stared at the vaguely humanoid shape behind it. His vision swam, and he had to give it his all just to stay awake. What was this creature? Some new type of Harrowed? Why had it killed the Headhunter? Why weren't the other monsters weren't doing anything?

He looked around, noticing all of them were dead. Something touched his arm, and he could hear some strange sound. It took him a moment to realize that someone was calling a name.

His name.

Fighting to remain conscious, he looked up to meet worried, brown eyes.

"...ne? Jaune can you hear me?"

He nodded weakly.

Doctor Oobleck let out a sigh of relief.

"It's alright young man. You will be fine. We will get you out of here." A new voice sounded. He turned to its source, and saw a lot of red, and round, concerned face with splendid mustache.

"Peter?" He managed to choke out.

"Yes Jaune, my boy, it's me. Just hold on for a little longer."

"Others…" he groaned. He fought desperately to stay awake, but knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"Don't worry about it. Medic, where the hell you are?! Take him out of there. Any news from the other teams?"

There were some shouts, then some people walked over to him, checking his wounds and giving him injections. Jaune sighed and relaxed.

It was finally over. He could rest.

* * *

 _It's still unknown what exactly happened at Spring Valley. Our sources at Vale's Disaster Prevention Center informs us that according to reports from the first investigation team, sent there last Friday, some kind of biological, or chemical weapon was used. The same source assures us, that thanks to swift intervention, there is no danger of the pollution spreading, but the_ _whole area will be locked down for safety reasons. Further investigation will commence shortly, as soon as the surviving member of the initial investigation group recovers enough to provide their testimony. We have no official statement from Beacon or the Vale Police Department, though an anonymous source informed us that considering that significant portion of affected populace were Fanus, it is highly unlikely it was an attack by the White Fang. Headmaster Ozpin, and the director of the VDPC assured us that they will spare no efforts or resources to ensure that similar tragedy will never happen again. Hoever…"_

Ozpin sighed, and turned the TV off. It was hard to keep this contained, and rumors were already starting to run wild. The worst thing was - not a single one of them were coming even close to how messed up the reality was.

He sighed again, taking a sip from his mug. The coffee was instant, and cold at that. It tasted horrible, but it had caffeine, and that would help him stay awake. There was much work to do.

He sat in his chair and looked over the small room he was in. It was not his office at Beacon - but rather a temporary one at the VDPC headquarters. And one that he will be spending far more time that he would have liked for the foreseeable future.

The sound of knocking, followed soon by the opening door and the clicking of heels on the floor broke him out of his thoughts.

He sighed, exhausted.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. Just sign them, and we will be done for now."

Ozpin chuckled. Only one person would walk into his office like that, and talk to him like that.

"Please forgive me Glynda. I think my age is catching up to me."

His assistant snorted.

"Sure. Like I said, it's just a few forms to sign this time. Nothing too important, but it has to be done. You need to get it done though, or we might have bigger problems if you don't."

Ozpin blinked a few times, and then groaned.

"They are waiting outside, aren't they?"

"Have been for the past three hours, and they look about ready to burst in here, weapons drawn."

Ozpin massaged his forehead, and let out a tired sigh. Dealing with team RWBY and NPR was a conversation he wasn't sure he was ready for.

"Oh, one more thing. Arthur Arc called. He said he will be in Vale in about an hour, and that he would like to have a chat with you."

Ozpin groaned again, this time much louder. That was a conversation he definitely wasn't ready for.

"Alright. Let me sign those, and I will talk with them. Better to deal with that before Arthur storms in."

* * *

Ozpin was surrounded the moment he stepped out of his office. One look at faces of his students told him that unless he was willing to use force, he had to give them answers they wanted.

Ozpin sighed, and considered for a moment what to say. Then decided he was too tired to care.

"First of all, I want you to know that I shouldn't be telling you most of the things I will. So please, keep it a secret."

He received seven nods of confirmation.

"Good, Walk with me." He went down the corridor, seven teens in tow.

"Mr. Arc is fine. He was recovered approximately two hours ago, and is currently in the hospital. He is exhausted, and wounded, but it's nothing life-threatening."

Judging by how their eyes narrowed, none of them were satisfied by this answer.

"Then why are we not allowed to see him? The whole wing he is resting in is blocked, and no one is allowed to enter without permission."

Ozpin rubbed his forehead, considering for a moment how much should he say. Then again decided he was too tired for this.

"As you might have heard, we suspect some kind of biological weapon was used. The message left by Mr. Arc seems to confirm this. And considering what happened in the city, there is little reason to doubt this theory."

They stared at him for few moments in complete silence. Just as he hoped, they would accept the answer and go away, Pyrrha Nikos broke the silence.

"And what exactly happened there? And why was Jaune involved in this?"

Ozpin sighed. There were no way they would take what he will said next well.

"People died, Miss Nikos. A great deal of people."

They looked at each other, confused.

"Yeah, we kinda figured. You wouldn't send so many Hunters to investigate if there weren't any casualties. But why is there is no refugee camp anywhere? What did you do with survivors?" Asked Yang.

Ozpin looked at them for a few moments in silence, considering yet again if he should really tell them.

 _Well, they will learn sooner or later. No way we can cover this up._

"We didn't set up a refugee camp, because there were no need for one, miss Xiao Long."

"What do you.."

"There is no need for one because there are no refugees. Everyone from that city died. There were no survivors among the civilians, and from Hunters sent to investigate, most died too."

No one spoke for a few moments, seven young people absorbing what they had just heard.

"Everyone…? But… how?" Ruby asked, her voice filled with horror and disbelief. Her sister placed one hand on her shoulder, her expression filled with the same emotions.

"Like I said, we believe that some kind of biological weapon was used. According to the information Mr. Arc recorded on his scroll, the city water supply was poisoned. Unfortunately, we won't be able to learn more until him, and other members of his team regain consciousness."

"Why did you send him there?" Asked Pyrrha suddenly. The normally polite girl was staring at him with clear hostility.

Ozpin sighed.

"To be honest - I had little choice in the matter. Mr. Arc would have gotten involved whether or not I would allow him to go. So instead of risking him running off on his own, I decided to put him on a team of experienced Hunters, that could keep him safe."

Yang shook her head.

"But why would he go? What was so important to him in that city?"

"Before I answer that, I want to clarify one thing. You are aware that Mr. Arc assisted the local police in investigating a series of murders we had last week?" Ozpin waited for them to confirm, then continued.

"I don't know how much Mr. Arc told you, but to keep it brief - this is a very personal matter form him. The person who we believe was responsible for those murders… well suffice to say that someone close to Mr. Arc was attacked by him. We believe that what happened in the city might have been his doing too. He was sighed there shortly before we lost contact with the city."

"But.. why can't we see him?" Ruby whined.

"For one, he is asleep, and he needs his rest." He looked them over. "And by the looks of it, you could use some too."

They still looked uncertain, so he smiled at them and nodded.

"Go, get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow morning, when all of you are rested, and after Mr. Arc has his check ups, you will be able to see him."

Reluctantly, they backed off. Ozpin sighed. It was nice to see them care about their friend so much, he just wished it wasn't at times he had to take care of one catastrophe that already happened, and try to prevent another, even larger one.

A little voice in his head pointed out that this was exactly what he was doing for the past few hundred years. Ozpin shook his head, and turned back to his office. At least he was done for…

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey there Ozzy. I heard you got my son hurt?"

Ozpin turned slowly. Arthur Arc was standing right behind him, a small smile on his lips, and ice-cold eyes boring into his. The old wizard briefly wondered if it was too late to cause some kind of small distraction, like sabotaging Vale's defences, and letting Grimm into the city, for example. But he quickly discarded the idea. The man in front of him would probably just ignore it, and focus solely on real problem - his son being in the hospital.

"Well, hell…" he began, but stopped when the hand on his shoulder squeezed a bit harder. He could feel his Aura activating.

"Details. Now."

Ozpin sighed, and motioned towards the door of his office.

"Let's talk inside."

 _I hate my life._

* * *

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and slowly opened the doors. The doctors warned her Jaune was probably still unconscious, and even if he was awake, he might not recognize her because of the hallucinations. Still, she insisted she be allowed to see him.

Well, all of them insisted, but the doctors refused to let seven people into his room. It lead to a bit of argument - they'd all come a long way from Beacon to Vale Central Hospital, where Jaune was being held. Thankfully, they had no lessons, they had all been suspended on account of the whole city being in an uproar after recent attack, and most of Beacon's staff being busy trying to contain the mess.

Eventually, it was decided that Pyrrha, as Jaune's partner, would be the one to check up on him. She walked into the small room, with two beds. Only one of them was occupied, and she walked up to her partner.

He was pale, but peaceful. There weren't any medical apertures in the room, and from what doctors said, his condition was good - all he needed was rest. With a sad smile, she pulled herself up a chair, and sat next to him, just watching his face for a few moments.

"Why do you keep doing this?" She asked finally, brushing a few strands of hair off his face.

"Why you keep running off on your own? Why don't you tell us anything? Don't you trust us enough to watch your back?" She sighed. "We are supposed to be a team. Why do you insist on doing things on your own?"

"Because that's the only way he knows." A masculine voice sounded from behind her.

Pyrrha whipped around, to look straight into blue eyes, so similar to Jaune's. The man standing in the doors was tall and well built. His long blond hair was tied up in ponytail. Even though he didn't have any weapon, or armor, Pyrrha had no doubt he was a Hunter. There was something about him, some kind of presence, that made her feel like a little animal locked in a cage together with alpha predator. She swallowed and moved to the side as the man walked to Jaune bed, just watching him.

"It's not that he doesn't trust you guys, or think you are too weak. He simply is the kind of guy who will travel to the end of the world and back just to help a friend. But if it's him who needs help - he will never ask, because he thinks he needs to take care of his problems on his own. That he shouldn't bother others with them." Blue eyes locked on her again, contemplating, judging her.

Pyrrha sat still, not sure what to say, or do. Or if she should do or say anything at all.

"I'm not sure he realizes t=it himself." He shook his head slowly, and chuckled.

"Name's Arthur Arc by the way. Jaune's father." He said extending his hand. Pyrrha just nodded, and took the offered hand. She'd already figured it out herself - the man in front of her was very similar to Jaune. His grip was firm, but Pyrrha was surprised by how smooth his hand felt. She couldn't feel any of the calluses the every person who made their living by fighting should have.

 _Maybe he has a Semblance similar to Miss Goodwitch? One that allows him to fight without using a weapon?_

A small smirk that appeared on the older man's lips told her he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Pyrrha blushed, and let go of his hand. Then realized she didn't introduce herself yet.

"Oh, nice to meet you sir. I'm…"

"Pyrrha Nikos. My idiot son's partner. Nice to finally meet you in person."

Pyrrha's month clicked shut. She laughed nervously, not really sure what to do next.

"Y-you know who I am?" She stammered finally.

"Sure I do." He said, sitting on the edge of Jaune's bed.

"He talked about you all, you know. A lot. He was really happy that he got into Beacon. Called us, and was gushing for about an hour how amazing a team he has." Arthur smiled fondly, looking at his son's face. "This has always been his dream, you know? To go to Beacon. To have a team, and become a Hunter." He looked back at her ,and smirked.

"And besides, there is hardly anyone who doesn't know who Pyrrha Nikos is. You made quite the name for yourself, young lady."

Pyrrha blushed and looked to the side.

"T-thank you sir. Jaune didn't know though." The second part was added quietly, but Arthur heard anyway. He blinked, surprised, then chuckled.

"Yeah, leave it to my son to not know a world-wide celebrity. Well, to be fair, I recognized you only because some of my daughters are big fans of yours."

Pyrrha chuckled, and looked back to Jaune. He looked so peaceful. The bag under his eyes almost gone, expression calm, and a small smile on his lips. She squeezed his hand, and got up.

"It was nice meeting you sir but I think I'll take my leave. Jaune needs his rest after all." She bowed her head a little, and made to leave. She was stopped by a vice-like grip on her hand. She turned around, surprised and looked straight into Jaune's wide opened eyes.

"S-Sam…?" He choked out. His voice was thick with emotions. Worry, relief, uncertainty. Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Jaune laughed.

"You are ok. I knew it, I knew it. You are alright." He looked at her, his expression changing form relieved to desperate.

"Don't go Sam. It's dangerous. He is still out there, so don't go Sam. I'll protect you this time, I swear. I won't let him…" he slowly trialed of, his voice getting quieter, and quieter until he slipped down into his bed, his hand slipping off her's.

Pyrrha watched him for a few moments, unsure what to do. Who was Sam? And who was this man Jaune was so afraid off? She recalled headmaster Ozpin saying that he had some history with the person suspected of all those murders. Was this him?

She looked at Arthur, his face set in stone, hands clenched in fists. She opened her mouth to ask at least some of the questions that swarmed her head now, but the older man raised one hand stopping her.

"I'm sure you have questions now, but it's not me you should be asking them to. I won't spill my son's secrets to anyone." He looked her in the eyes. "Ask him when he wakes up. I'm sure he will tell you."

Pyrrha just nodded and turned around. She paused at the doors, sparing one last glance towards her partner. He was asleep again, his father sitting in the chair he occupied just a few moments ago.

 _Wake up quickly Jaune. We miss you._

* * *

Pyrrha couldn't stop a small smile from coming to her lips. It wasn't because it was Monday, and they didn't have any lessons. It would be hard to organize any, seeing as most of Beacon staff was busy with… something. She wasn't sure, because no one shared any of that info, but then she didn't really cared either.

What she did care about, was her partner. That, if message she received not even hour ago, was to be believed, woke up in a fairly good state, and was undergoing his last checkups, before hopefully being released from the hospital.

"You sure he will be up?" Asked Yang.

Pyrrha smiled at her and nodded.

"Yes. I received a message earlier that he woke up. They said he appears fine and only need to run a few check ups to make sure."

"Oh, he better be fine. Because he has some explaining to do. And there is no way we are letting him run away this time." Yang snorted.

"Yeah. if he tries, we will break his legs!" Nora sing-stoned, high fiving Yang.

"I would appreciate if you didn't try to put my son in the hospital again, before he's even signed out from this one." A new voice sounded from behind. They all turned to see Headmaster Ozpin with his signature mug, and very tired expression. He was accompanied by two people - a tall man with blond hair, dressed in black trousers, a white jacket, and a red shirt underneath. He was saying something to the Headmaster, the other man nodding from time to time.

The one who spoke was a young woman. She looked at them with a small smile, green eyes shining with mirith. She wore simple, green dress that matched her eyes.

"Well, it was just a proposition." Nora trailed off.

The woman walked up to them, looking each in the eyes.

"So you're Jaune's friends. It's nice to meet you in person."

"Likewise" Said Weiss nodding to her." Miss…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Victoria Arc. I'm Jaune's mom."

Six shocked gasp sounded. All the girls stared at the forty-something woman that looked to be in her mid twenties.

"How?" Yang finally asked the question that was on every girl's mind.

Victoria just laughed.

"Oh, it's a family secret. Anyway, I presume you are here to visit my son?" She waited for them to confirm, before speaking again.

"That's wonderful. Would you mind walking with us? I would love to talk with you all."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. She would love to have some time to chat with Jaune's parents too. And it looked like she finally would be able to get some answers from her unruly partner. Things were looking good.

"Um.." they all turned to look at Blake. She was standing still, staring to the side with narrowed eyes. "Isn't that...Jaune?" All eyes snapped to the direction she was looking, to see a very familiar blond leaving the hospital with some man dressed in a black suit. They both got into a black car, and it drove off soon after.

Pyrrha could feel her eyebrow starting to twitch. Slowly, her smile morphed into something much more… predatory.

 _Oh no, you don't._ Was her only though when she dashed after her runaway partner. She would get her answers today. And nothing would stop her.

The rest of her team, and RWBY followed soon after.

Victoria Arc watched after running teenagers with conflicted expression. She looked back and up at her husband, whose hand just landed on her shoulder.

"He will be fine. He is thought kid."

She knew this, of course. But it didn't stopped her from worrying

 _What did you get yourself in this time Jaune?_

* * *

Jaune sighed. The Company representative was waiting for him outside while he was finishing his check ups, and approached him as soon as he left. Normally, Jaune wouldn't take a new contract as soon after previous one, especially considering that he wasn't even properly signed off hospital after his last job.

But then the man dressed in black explained that they found solid leads on the mysterious 'Master' Toto mentioned. They were getting close, but with the mess caused in the 'town of the Damned' as the media dubbed it, there was a shortage of Witchers in Vale.

 _And of course the bastard started making new Harrowed as soon as he got into the city._

Thankfully it wasn't anything big-scale, but there were a few stray Ghouls still roaming some of the less populated areas.

He sighed again, and checked the info on his scroll again. The Company was nice enough to provide transportation to and from his 'job zone'. Jaune looked around, the area was deserted. It was basically slums, with the only people in the vicinity being him, and the Company agent accompanying him. He was assured that the area was secure, and he didn't have to worry about any civilians wandering around.

Jaune took a deep breath, and walked out of the car. His target was last seen in the run-down building in front of him. Judging by the sign on the front, it was a bakery of sorts, long since abandoned. Jaune readied Eclipse, and slowly approached. He was mostly rested now, and Aura took care of most of the damage he had taken. His head still hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything serious.

But he still wasn't in top shape, so it was best to be cautious.

 _Good thing it's just a Ghoul. I shouldn't need any Elixirs for this one._ Of course he still brought a few with him. Better safe than sorry.

He walked through the broken door and looked around. The room was big, dusty,and completely empty. He notice two doors on the opposite wall, and broken stairs leading to the second floor. One of the doors lead to small, dirty room with some broken furniture. The other, opened to slightly bigger, empty room with a sizable hole in one of the walls. Jaune peeked outside, noticing a few footprints in the dirt.

Smiling to himself, he followed them. After nearly twenty minutes of wandering through the empty, dark, and gloomy alley, he finally found his mark, rummaging through some garbage.

It turned out to him as soon as he stepped in the alley. It started walking from one side of alley to other, letting out low growling, cleary trying to intimidate him. Jaune smirked, and walked towards it confidently.

When he was about ten meters away from it, the Ghoul lunged. Not wanting to risk any precise maneuvers, he simply ducked under the charge, instead of trying to impale the beast through the chest.

The Ghoul landed heavily, rolled and got up. Jaune was already upon it, Eclipse coming down in a powerful, overhead blow. The beast jumped to the side, successfully avoiding decapitation, but still earning a deep wound on its arm.

It tried to lunge again, but Jaune easily side-stepped it, and took one of its legs with an rising cut. The Ghoul fell, and before it could rise again, Eclipse pinned it to the ground.

Jaune let out a breath of relief when the body turned into a human corpse after just a few seconds.

 _How nice it is to have job without complications._ He thought to himself, getting up and rolling his shoulders.

 _Better go back fast. Gang is sure to come, and they will freak out if they find I'm gone._

He turned in the direction he came form, and froze.

"Um.. Hi?" He said lamely, waving one hand.

Seven people were standing at the opposite end of the alley looking at dead body next to him, his blood-soaked sword, then him.

Jaune sighed.

"Ok guys, I know how this looks like, but how about you let me explain before you jump to conclusions?" He asked.

"Explain? Oh, you want to explain yourself." He gulped when his partner stormed toward him, anger evident on her face.

"Do you have any idea what we've gone through?" Her fists struk his chest. "First you go on this secret mission with the police. You told us nothing, left us wondering what the hell is happening with you. You barely talked with us for this week!" Another hit in the chest, stronger this time, caused him to wince.

"I was happy when you told us everything, and that you were done with it. I thought we would start acting like a team again.." she trailed off, her head hung low. Then she suddenly looked up, her fist striking him much harder. Jaune made to protest but words left him when he saw tears in her eyes.

"And then you suddenly ran off, went on some secret mission. No one would tell us anything, all we could do was sit there and wait. We were worried! And then they brought you in, unconscious, and we learn that almost everyone in that city died! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't give him a chance.

"We left Beacon as soon as we learned you were awake. We were so relieved that you were ok! But then you just ran off again, and now this!" She gestured to corpse next to him.

She paused, taking a few shuddering breaths.

"So yes Jaune, I would love some explanation. And please, let it be something good. Because otherwise I…" she paused, shaking her head slowly. Then she looked straight into his eyes. "Please, Jaune." She begged.

The blond Witcher closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Allright. But not here. Let's move to somewhere more comfortable, ok?"

She nodded, and they all followed him.

 _Damn._ he thought, heading back to where the Company car was waiting for him. _I really messed up this time, didnt I?_

* * *

 **So, judging by reviews, a lot of people were confused by last chapter. Good, that was my aim. As you can see - this isn't time travel-fic, and it all was just Jaune's fever dream/hallucination. I wouldn't write 19 chapter story just to mess with you all. Promise!**

 **About Sam - In one AN I said I have no intention of writing scene where Sam actually dies. And I'm man of my word - this scene from last chapter was written by JJD.**

 **Next chapter long awaited talk will happen. The rest of cast will finally learn about Jaune's not-so-secret occupation, and what is his connection to Master.**

 **Well this is it for now. See you all next week. But for now - omake. It's direct continuation of last one.**

 **JJD: Fun Fact: That Sam scene was actually the first thing I think we ended up writing for this story.**

 **Cr00cy: Yep. If memory serves right, I wasn't even done with ch 1 when JJD wrote it.**

* * *

"Hold on kiddo. Just hold on for a little bit longer." Leon said. He had been repeating this for the past hour or so. Or maybe it was just a few minutes? Jaune wasn't sure. His vision was blurry, he could barely hear anything besides the pounding of his heart, and he couldn't focus on anything.

Besides the fact that he was bleeding out, that is.

They reached the village Leon mentioned. Only to find it ruined, and populated only by Grimm. There were only a few Beowolves, not even Alphas, so Jaune just hung back while Leon dealt with them. He was torn about this decision. On one hand - he felt like a coward, just standing there and letting Leon do all the work. On the other hand - he knew that with no Aura, and little training, he would be only be a hindrance in a fight.

He watched for a few moments as Leon dispatched Grimm after Grimm, then with a sigh he backed off and leaned on the wall of some ruined building. He knew it was silly to expect he would be able to fight side by side with Leon so soon. He had still a lot of learning to do. If he recalled correctly, in combat prep schools, students were facing the first Grimm somewhere in the middle of their third year. So he still had around three years of learning before he should start worrying about this. He knew that - but it did little to help his wounded pride.

Lost in thought like that, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings - a mistake that soon came back to bite him.

Literally.

When he noticed the shadow looming over him, he turned around to look at what cast it. In hindsight, it was a bad idea - if something big approached you in a Grimm infested village, one could easily guess what that thing was. So Jaune, after looking in the eyes of the biggest Ursa he'd ever seen - at least form so close - let out a startled yelp and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's maw.

Hours of training with Leon kicked in, and he jumped to his feet, reading his word and shield. Then yelped again, and rolled again, avoiding a massive paw coming down at him.

"Ursa!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping Leon would hear him. They went over what he should do in case he encountered a Grimm when his teacher was busy with something else multiple times, and it all come down to two things: yell at the top of your lungs what Grimm was attacking you, and try to survive long enough for help to arrive.

 _Step one done, time to focus on step two._ He thought, ducking under another swipe. After the initial panic lessened, he realized he had a much better chance of making it out alive than he first thought. The beast was big, strong, and tough. If he needed to kill it, he would be done for.

But he didn't. The only thing he had to do was survive long enough for Leon to come.

The Ursa had many advantages over him - except for speed. Its attacks were nowhere near as fast as Leon's, so Jaune could avoid them, as long as he remained focused. He didn't even considered blocking them, knowing full well it wouldn't do him any good.

So all he needed to do was to keep dodging, and wait. Leon would come, and kill this thing, and he would be safe. He just had to not do anything stupid, and let his teacher save him.

Jaune snarled, and after dodging another swipe, lashed out with his sword. It was a clumsy attack, lacking speed, strength, and down at poor angle, so all it did was scratch the beast's thick hide a little.

But it was enough.

 _I can hurt it!_ The blond grinned to himself. And then doged with startled yelp when the angered Grimm almost took his head off with a furious swipe.

 _Ok, note to self - it doesn't like being hurt._ The blond boy winced and dodged another stroke. A loud roar from bear-like Grimm caused him to wince again.

 _This thing is too loud. I should be able to avoid it long enough for Leon to come, but if all this commotion attracts more Grimm..._

His eyes narrowed. He knew he couldn't simply run away. Ursas, similar to normal bears, weren't the most agile of creatures, but they could run very fast. Jaune could keep dodging its attacks, but with all the noise they were making, sooner or later some other Grimm would notice them. And Jaune didn't fancy his chances in two against one - especially if something faster and more agile than an Ursa showed up. And there was always the issue of stamina. Jaune would tire out. The Ursa will not.

That left only one option. A crazy one, potentially lethal, but in this situation…

The blond boy jumped back a few steps after dodging another attack and took a deep breath to steady himself.

 _Ok Jaune keep calm. Just like Leon taught you. Look at it, notice how it's built, and any potential weak spots._

The Ursa was big, and had multiple bone plates on its back, but none on the front.

 _Ok, so it has no armor on the belly, but its skin is still tough. My best bet to damage it are its joints and eyes._

He ducked under its paw, lashing out with his sword again, and this time scoring a nice cut. The Ursa roared, and tried to bite his head off, but Jaune had already retreated.

 _Observe how it moves, learn its habits, and attack patterns. Understand how it reacts to your actions._

The Blond charged in, but at the last second jumped to the side, avoiding the Grimm's jaw, and causing it to clumsy turn after him. He jumped, waited for the Grimm to charge, and the dashed forward again, this time lunging to the other side. This dance continued for a few moments,Jaune taking note of how the Ursa moved. Eventually he jumped back a few steps, breathing heavily.

It was terrifying. He could die at any moment, but the fear he felt at the beginning was now muted, replaced by excitement. Jaune knew full well the Ursa could kill him in just one hit, but at the same time the beast was slow and clumsy. Its attacks were telegraphed, and easy to dodge, not to mention it wasn't smart enough to try to change its rhythm.

Strong, but slow and predictable. Jaune smiled.

 _I can do this!_

His smile fell when he heard the heavy footsteps and snorting of another Ursa.

 _Correction: I have to do this._

Mumbling a few words he would never allow his mother hear him saying, he dashed in. He ducked under its first swipe, rolled out of the way of another, and before the clumsy beast could turn towards him, he grabbed his sword in both hands and cut at the back of its left knee. The wounded Grimm roared and lashed out with one paw, but Jaune was no longer there. He retreated a few steps, waited for the Grimm to face him, and then dashed in again.

Duck, roll, strike. Another roar from the wounded beast, and another retreat. It took three more attempts for Jaune to finally cut deep enough to cripple its leg, The Ursa attacking the same way every time, only proving its stupidity.

 _It has to be young, and inexperienced…_ Jaune thought bitterly. He wished that the first Grimm he faced on his own was something more formidable. But then again if it was, he probably would be dead by now.

Footsteps and loud sniffs coming from behind a nearby building reminded him he had no time to waste. Jaune took a few deep breaths, jumped back a few steps and started circling the beast to the right. It roared, and started running at him. Jaune dashed forward, and at the last second rolled to the left. He knew he didn't have enough strength to kill an Ursa, its skin being too thick. But if he could add the beast own strength, or weight? Well that might just work.

As expected, the Grimm tried to turn, and squash the annoying human, but its wounded leg couldn't support its weight, and it stumbled and fell - right at Jaune's waiting sword.

The blond boy grinned when the ancestral blade buried itself into the Ursa's chest. Though it died an ugly death when he realized two things.

One - he hadn't accounted for what would happen when said Ursa fell on him.

Second - he didn't have a plan for what to do when his attack failed to kill the beast on the spot.

Fortunately, the Ursa didn't fall on him, crushing the would-be Hunter under its weight. Unfortunately, it was because it stopped its fall, looked at the sword buried up the hilt into its body, and rose, letting out a furious roar.

All Jaune could do was to raise his shield, before a massive arm come down at him.

The blond boy let out a pained scream when the bones in his hand shattered. He flew, actually _flew_ and hit something wooden, judging by the sound. Though at that moment he wasn't bothered by it - he was too busy screaming in pain. It wasn't just his hand, which he cradled desperately, but his whole body.

Eventually he gritted his teeth, and managed to look up - straight in the eyes of another Ursa. It was much bigger than the previous one, had more bone plating, and multiple spikes coming out of its back.

 _Fuck._

Though Jaune, watching as a massive arm rose, then fell.

And then the Ursa died. His arm simply disappeared, followed shortly by beast's head. Jaune blinked a few times, unsure what exactly happened, but then another face appeared in his vision - this one thankfully both friendly and familiar.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry Jaune. There were more of them than I thought, and they swarmed me. I tried to get here earlier, but… oh, shit." He started to babble.

Jaune chuckled, but it turned into a fit of coughing. He wanted to say he was ok, that this was just a scratch - that's what tough guys said when they got wounded, right?

But only thing that got out of his mouth was a pained whimper.

"Easy there buddy. Just lay down, you will be fine."

Jaune tried to say something, but another fit of coughing stopped him. Something red came out of his mouth, and he realized it was blood. He looked down at his body, and noticed a few things, very worrying things.

His clothes were in shreds, and covered in something wet, slick, with metallic scent. There was a sizable peace of wood popping out of his stomach, covered in something red. And now that he took closer look, there was a lot of red around him.

It took him moment to realize it was blood. His blood.

 _Oh. I'm bleeding out._ He realized. Jaune had vague feeling this revelation should bother him a bit more, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was hurting all over, it was getting colder, his vision swam, and he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

"No, no, no, don't you dare. Stay with me Jaune, just hold on. I'll get you help, just stay with me. Don't you fucking dare to die, just hold on a little bit longer" Leon voice sounded strangely clear, despite everything else becoming more and more blurred. The blond boy managed a weak smile. He'd never seen Leon so worried, the man was usual calm and composed, barely showing any emotion.

"Come on Jaune, don't give up now. You're a survivor. A fighter. That's what you do, don't you? You push onward, grasping every straw, every chance, no matter how small to reach your goal. You are man with a plan. Just look at you - not even fourteen years old, less than a year of training, and no Aura, and you killed a fucking Ursa. So don't you fucking dare to die now. Fight Jaune, just hold on."

 _I killed it?_ Jaune felt a little warmth in his heart. So he did it after all. He managed to kill his first Grimm. Too bad he was apparently going to die for it, but there was little he could do in that matter.

He focused on his teacher, his mentor, and friend. Somehow Jaune could see his face clearly, even though everything else was blurry. His expression was one of worry and desperation, he kept asking, no, begging Jaune to not give up.

Jaune sighed. How could he fight? He was too weak, and too tired. It was over. Even though Leon tried his best to patch him up, all the time, trying to convince Jaune to fight. And listening to him like that, Jaune came to a sudden realization.

Leon believed in him. He truly, honestly believed in Jaune. Even though he knew it was silly, there was always this annoying voice in the back of his head asking why Leon even bothered training him. Sure, the man said Jaune had the heart of a Hunter, but upon getting to know him better, Jaune doubted Leon was someone who would accept a student based on something so vague. So what was the real reason? Was this just a whim? Or maybe his parents paid him to train their son?

Jaune knew it was silly. But it didn't stop this little voice from whispering to him, crushing his confidence.

But now, lying down in this ruined town, and bleeding out, Jaune finally understood. Leon truly, honestly, believed in him. The man never said anything too encouraging, he never praised Jaune - not too much anyway. He never said to Jaune, 'you can do it' - because Leon was not one to waste breath saying obvious things. How could Jaune only realize this now? Leon never, ever doubted Jaune could become a Hunter - the older man considered it a fact, something that would happen.

This realization made him feel warm, in a way he never really felt before. It's not that no one believed in him before. His family was always supportive, but that was the problem. It was his family. They would do, or say anything to make him feel better.

Leon was different. He barely knew Jaune when he took him under his wing and he had no reason to say things just to make him feel better.

Jaune smiled, closing his eyes. It felt… nice. And warm. His body didn't hurt as much anymore, though he still felt sleepy. Then his eyes snapped open.

Leon believed in him. It wouldn't do to let him down. He focused, and willed himself to stay awake. He couldn't give up now, he still had so many things to do.

The warmth in his chest turned into a raging inferno, and then, it burst out, washing over him. Jaune let out a single gasp, and passed out.

* * *

When he woke up, he was lying in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. He slowly sat up, resting his head on one hand.

 _What happ…_

And then it all came crashing back. The ruined town, the Ursa, his fight, Leon's worried face, his desperate words. He gasped, looking around.

"Hey, kiddo." He heard familiar voice. He turned and looked at a smiling Leon, sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"It's a merchant caravan. Stumbled upon them like half an hour after you lost consciousness. We are heading to Mistral, will be there in about two days. You were out for three days. Anything else?"

Jaune blinked a few times, then chuckled. This felt oddly familiar to his time in Hunter's Rest.

"Nah, I think I'm fine."

And only after he said this, he realized he really was. Nothing hurt him, at least not as much as it should. He looked to his teacher, noticing his serious expression.

"What…"

"You really scared me there. Picking an Ursa as your first kill? And before even unlocking your Aura?" He shook his head. "Ballsy. "

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. But I don't think I ever want to try that again. Killing Grimm without Aura, I mean."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You won't have chance to try it again, I assure you."

Jaune gasped in shock. This couldn't it be.. Was Leon…

"Oh…" he slumped. "I guess you wouldn't want to teach me after I messed up like that."

Leon tilted his head to the side.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Jaune blinked, confused.

"But you just said…"

"That you will never get a chance to fight Grimm without your Aura ever again." The older man paused, and hummed, lost in thought.

"Well, you might be… But considering your reserves, you would have to be in some real deep shit for it to happen."

It took Jaune a few seconds to register his friend's words, and only when Leon grinned at him, blond boy finally understood what happened.

"My Aura… it's unlocked?"

Leon's grinn only widened.

"Yep."

Jaune grinned back.

"Guess that means we can start training seriously now?"

Leon laughed.

"You bet we will, Jaune."

The blond boy laughed too. He did it. He unlocked his Aura.

 _I just hope that unlocking my Semblance will not require a near-death situation._

He smirked.

 _I wonder what it will be? I hope something cool._

* * *

Two days after Jaune woke up, he and Leon were walking beside one of the carts.

"Don't worry Jaune. At least you unlocked it fast. Sometimes it takes years to do so."

The blond boy just groaned, his head hung low. It was so embarrassing! Could he get any lamer?

Leon sighed, and placed a hand on his student's shoulder.

"Jaune, it doesn't matter how you got it. All that matters is that it happened.."

The blond boy shot him an annoyed look.

"It's just so embarrassing!" He cried out.

"I'm sure there are worse ways to discover your Semblance."

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Leon just shrugged.

"Dunno. Like getting struck by lightning. Can you imagine?"."

Jaune groaned again, and hung his head again. Maybe he should be happy that he discovered his Semblance so soon. And he kinda was. If only it wasn't because a few merchants let him taste their products - that he discovered too late were some of the strongest alcohols fit for consumption.

They were really surprised that a young, not even fourteen years old boy could drink almost a whole bottle, when even grown men could barely handle a few shots.

Jaune was sure it was because of his Aura - but then Leon explained that couldn't be it. Aura blocked damage coming from the outside, it couldn't do anything against chemicals that got into the body, beside speeding up recovery. So even veteran Hunters could get drunk. After a few test, only one conclusion came to mind. It had to be thanks to Semblance.

 _Jaune Arc - man that can't get drunk. Some cool Semblance I have._ He sighed.

His self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted when Leon patted his arm.

"We are here." He said, pointing ahead.

Jaune looked up, and gasped. All the gloomy thoughts fled his head, replaced by pure awe.

"Welcome to Mistral. The city where you can buy anything."

* * *

 **And this wraps it up. Jaune unlocked his Aura in a cool way, and his Semblance in a not-so cool way.**

 **Nothing much to say here, so see you guys next week.**


	22. Things Remembered

**Welcome to CH 21 of TPA.**

* * *

"So, that's your story?" Weiss glared at the blond boy sitting in front of her.

Jaune shrugged,

"Well… yeah."

The heiress signed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Let me sum it up. You are officially a Witcher - part of the Company's elite…"

"I wouldn't say elite…" Jaune interjected, but went ignored.

"..secret…

"Not a secret at all. I told…" he tried to protest, but went ignored again.

"..strike force. You regularly are sent to exterminate extremely dangerous creatures _alone._ And you never considered telling us?" Weiss finished, sending him an icy glare.

Jaune shifted nervously.

"Well… yeah. You never asked…"

"And would you have told us if we asked?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jaune shrugged.

"Yeah. Like I said many times already - Witchers aren't some secret organization. You can literally walk into a Company office, and ask to take the exam. It's that simple."

Blake shook her head, and looked over the small room Jaune lead them to. From what he had told them, it was a Company meeting room, usually used for meeting with important clients.

The black haired girl looked over the people gathered in the room. Most of them took Jaune's revelation rather well. Ren accepted it with a single nod, Nora and Ruby looked excited. Weiss complained, but Blake would bet anything it was more because she was annoyed that she didn't realize her old friend's… special qualifications, earlier. Even though he apparently hadn't even tried to hide it.

The one most conflicted about whole ordeal was Pyrrha. She watched her partner with a mixture of relief and worry.

 _Well, I can't blame her._

Thought Blake, focusing back on the blond boy, who patiently ignored Weiss tirade. Jaune was on edge. Not because of Weiss chastising him, or the fact that they found him with a blood-dripping sword over a fresh corpse, or that he had had to explain himself. No, there was something else there, just beneath the surface. He hid it well, but Blake was good at noticing small signs that there was something wrong.

It had saved her life multiple times.

But even though she knew that there _was_ something wrong, she wasn't sure _what._ She doubted it had anything to do with Jaune's revelation that he was a Witcher. Blake was sure he wasn't lying when he said it wasn't a big deal - his body language when he revealed the information confirmed this. And of course they'd all heard of Witchers before. Harrowed weren't some big secret either. It's just that most people assumed they were no different than Grimm.

"So, you're saying the guy in that alley was a Harrowed?" She asked finally, if only to stop Weiss' monologue. Blake was certain that at this point everyone had turned her out, but no one dared to interrupt her, lest they draw the heiress' ire unto themselves.

"Yeah. A Ghoul, to be more precise. A young one. According to the intel I got he turned not even an hour before."

"But aren't they more… I don't know… monster-like? They showed us pictures of one in Signal, and it was all black. Looked closer to Beowolf than a human, and the guy in alley… well..." Yang asked, probably just to make sure Weiss didn't get a chance to start her nagging again. The heiress apparently realized it too, because she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"They are." Jaune confirmed. "Until you kill them. Then the Corruption starts to fade, and they usually turn into a normal human corpse. It also depends how old the Ghoul was - if it was just two or three hours older, you could see clear signs of deformation."

He sighed.

"And yes, you can check out Eclipse."

Ruby had Jaune's black sword - a Witcher's signature weapon - in her hands in an instant. Blake chuckled when her team leader started gushing about how awesome it was.

"So, what is deal with the black swords anyway?" Asked Yang, after watching her sister for a few moments. "I saw some Witchers back in Patch, and I think everyone had one."

Jaune shrugged.

"They are essentially portable Corruption purifiers. It helps ensuring that Ghouls won't turn into Wraiths, and that Wraiths stay dead."

"Really? Then is there any reason only WItchers use them?"

Jaune smirked.

"Sure there is. A very simple one - money. It's about cost effectiveness. Sure, the materials used are very Aura sensitive, and it allows us to do some cool tricks, beside the Corruption cleansing I mentioned. But at the same time, it's very hard, and expensive, to make such a sword. And you can't use it to make mecha-shifting weapons. That's why almost every Witcher makes a longsword - it's the most efficient choice."

"Wait, aren't High-Dust alloys rather common these days?" Blake asked. Despite herself, she started to become more and more interested in the topic.

Jaune just shook his head, with a small smile.

"Yes, in recent years alloys with a high Dust percentage have started to become popular. But those are still not enough for a sword like this. Most popular alloys used today usually have about twenty, twenty five percent Dust. Even the ones labeled as having high Dust content, have around fifty. This sword..." he pointed at Eclipse, still being examined by Ruby "...is made from alloy with eighty seven percent Dust. And it's a mix of several types, all of top quality." He shook his head.

"Making something like that is simply too hard and too expensive for general use. Especially if we consider it's not any more effective against Grimm than standard weapons." He chuckled, and sent a grateful nod to the white haired girl.

"If not for Weiss' help, I probably would never gathered enough to make it. Not so quickly anyway."

The heiress mumbled something quietly, but no one paid any attention to her. Blake relaxed in her seat, taking a sip of the soda someone bought them at the beginning of the meeting. Jaune didn't look as on edge as he was in the beginning, but why, she couldn't tell. Was he simply worried about how they would react? Ot it was something else, and easy conversation with friends helped to distract him?

 _Well, it's not like it matters._

She thought, watching with amusement as Ruby practically mounted her fellow team leader, demanding details on the production process of Eclipse. Of course, Yang didn't pass on such a perfect opportunity to tease her younger sister, electing a blush from the young Huntress, and a laugh from everyone else. Jaune just shook his head, then shot a hurt look towards his partner when she asked if there are any meaningful differences between Grimm and Harrowed. The blond started explaining how both groups are different, even pulling out his scroll and showing them a picture of a Ghoul. There was a moment of strained silence after Nora's off-hand comment that the black monstrosity 'looks just like Mr. Wrinkles.' One look at Ren's face stopped anyone from asking what she meant.

Some questions are better left unanswered.

They talked some more, mainly asking Jaune about Harrowed and his job as a Witcher. It was a nice, easy talk, with them joking around and teasing the blond boy from time to time.

"By the way Jaune, who is Sam?" Asked Pyrrha. It was a simple, innocent question, but it killed the easy atmosphere instantly.

With one shuttering breath, Jaune's smile died, and there was distress, maybe even panic, clear on his face.

 _Ok, this can't be good._

The blond laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.

"H-how do you know that name?" He asked quietly.

Pyrrha suddenly looked very uncertain of what to say.

"Well… we came to visit you this morning, but the doctors didn't want to let us all in, so I came in alone. You were still unconscious, but when I was leaving, you woke up for a moment, and mistook me for this Sam. I was just curious…" she trailed off.

"I-I see. Well you two look kinda alike.. So I guess I… " he looked at his partner, and there was a certain desperation in his voice when he spoke. "What did I say? When I mistook you for her?"

Pyrrha shifted nervously, avoiding her partner's gaze.

"Nothing much… You just said something about there being someone dangerous wanting to hurt Sam… And that you would protect her."

"Oh… I see." after that silence fell over the room. Jaune cleary lost in his thoughts, and them not knowing what to say, or do.

The first person to act was, to everyone surprise, Weiss. With a quiet sigh, she sat next to the blond boy, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and started humming some melody. He stiffened, then relaxed, and started humming with her, a small, sad smile slowly appearing on his face.

"This sure brings back memories…" he whispered, then chuckled and shook his head. He looked up, staring at ceiling for a few moments.

Weiss smiled, and stopped her humming. They looked each other in the eyes. She gave him an encouraging nod, which he returned.

"She was like a sister to me." He spoke finally. "We first met when I was eleven, she was nine back then. Our parents were getting dinner together, so they left her with me and my sisters. I didn't really mind - just one more girl to take care of, I thought." He paused and chuckled, shaking his head.

Blake winced. She knew that tone, that way of speaking. She'd heard it many times in the White Fang, where people were discussing friends, family or lovers. Ones that they would never see again.

Judging by the expressions of the other people in the room, they all caught on where this was going too.

"But she was different. She did listen to me, but it was different than my sisters. They simply accepted that I was the one in charge, and listened because they were sure there was no other option. She allowed me to be in charge, if only to not cause a fuss." He shook his head.

"It wasn't the last time they left her under my care, and we eventually became friends. Our parents and my sisters used to tease us for spending so much time together. And then…" his breath hitched, and he paused, staring at the floor.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked when silence stretched for a few minutes. He looked up at her, eyes distant.

"What happened?" She asked, even though they had a pretty good idea. Blake recalled Headmaster Ozpin saying that Jaune had 'personal reasons' to get involved in this whole mess and sighed. When she heard it the first time, she briefly wondered what might have pushed someone as easy going and friendly as Jaune to put himself in so much danger.

The death of a close friend sounded like a good enough reason.

After a few more moments of silence, Jaune laughed bitterly.

"I don't know."

Pyrrha blinked a few times.

"You.. don't know?" She repeated, cleary having a hard time understanding her partner's response. Blake couldn't blame her. She was feeling pretty lost herself.

Jaune wrung his hands together nervously. He remained silent for nearly a full minute, gathering his thoughts.

"I remember that day cleary. Everything up until that point is so clear it's as if it happened yesterday. I remember what we ate for breakfast, I remember every store we visited and what we talked about. But when I try to recall this one moment…" he shook his head, his speech becoming faster and faster.

"I simply can't remember. Or rather I can, but I'm not sure what is real and what's not anymore." He grabbed his head in both hands, and groaned.

"The more I try to remember, the more confused I get. I recall things, little details, and they lead to one conclusion, but then I recall something different that contradicts everything else. Then I start to follow this new idea, and I recall something wrong again, and it keeps going like that over and over again. And I can't remember, even though I know I was there, and it happened, and I was sure that I made it in time, but I can't remember what happened to her after that. Toto said it was too late, but I'm sure it wasn't, and…" Jaune rambled, his voice growing more and more desperate with every word, his hands tightening on his head, as if he wanted to squeeze these confusing memories out.

Weiss hugged him tighter, starting her humming again.. Soon another voice joined, when Pyrrha sat on next to her partner, and wrapped her hand around Jaune's shaking shoulders.

Ruby looked hesitant of what to do, but after Nora bascily tackle-hugged her team leader, the young untress quickly followed in her footsteps.

Blake looked to her partner, who just shrugged, and walked behind Jaune, wrapping her arms around him. With a quiet sigh, Blake joined the group hug.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but Jaune eventually took a few deep breaths, and nodded.

"Thanks guys. I'm better now."

Yang snorted, but didn't let him go him.

"I bet you are, what with six gorgeous girls all over you."

Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"I guess you are right."

Pyrrha squeezed his hand, sending him an encouraging smile.

"So, what exactly happened with Sam? And why you can't remember? You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but…"

"No, it's ok." He took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. From my 'graduation ceremony' - the day when Leon acknowledged me as ready to be a Witcher." Jaune took a moment to collect his thoughts, before continuing. "We were escorting a caravan through the mountains in the northern parts of Vale. The road we were supposed to take was blocked by an avalanche, so Leon sent me to the city that we were heading to to inform them of what happened. When I got there, I overheard some people talking about a Harrowed that spawned in the nearby woods. I decided to take it out."

He smiled at the old memory.

"It was first time I killed a Harrowed without Leon to back me up. He was pretty pissed off when he learned I took on a fire Wraith on my own, but eventually congratulated me on a job well done. That was around one year ago, right after the second time I visited Atlas." He nodded to the heiress with a small smile. "I finished forging Eclipse just a day before the caravan went off. I guess I never thanked you properly for helping me get all that Dust. So thank you."

Weiss nodded back and smiled.

"About half a year later, me and Leon visited the town again. My parents and sisters came there to meet us. Sam was with them. It was sort of celebration - I just passed my Witcher exam, and was waiting for the official response. I was freaking out, so Leon took me out there to distract me."

Jaune laughed at the memory, but his smile soon faded, replaced by a fierce scowl.

"That was when I first met that bastard." He spat.

"I went to grave of the girl that was turned into a Harrowed. And that's where I saw him - standing over it, lost in thought. At first I thought he was family, the father, or grandfather." Jaune clenched his eyes shut, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "It turned out this Harrowed was his creation. I don't know exactly how he managed to do it, but he did. And he acted as if he was doing this poor girl a favor. I was too shocked to do anything, and he ran. Then my family came over, we started to hang out, and I kind of forget about him."

Jaune trailed off. After a moment he started shaking. Pyrrha squeezed his hand, earning a grateful smile from the blond boy.

"He appeared again about a week later. I was supposed to meet up with Sam, but when I got to our meeting place, I saw him doing… _something_ to her. I don't know what, but this is where things start to get fuzzy. I'm sure I interrupted him, but I can't remember how, and what happened next. Hell, I can't even recall his face, even though I was sure I was looking him straight in the eyes when I promised I would gut him for what he did to her."

The blond boy paused again, lost in thought. The silence stretched for a few minutes, everyone absorbing what they had learned. The one to finally break it was Ren.

"Jaune? You mentioned someone named Toto, and that he said something to you? Who is he?"

The blond boy scoffed.

"A traitor. He was part of my team on the last job. Turned out he was working with the one responsible for some time, a few years if what he said was true. Referred to the bastard as 'Master,' as if he was anything more than a psycho murderer. And he told me it wasn't an accident they attacked Sam that day. They chose her, specifically because she was close to me. They figured that if they turned her into a Harrowed, I somehow would come to 'see the truth'."

Jaune stared at his hand for a few moments, before speaking quietly.

"Problem is, he said that whatever they did to her, I was too late to stop it. That she was done for. Normally I would ignore it, but… He didn't sound as if he was lying. The bastard talked with us as if we were good friends, even though he straight up admitted he wanted us all dead just a few moments before."

He clutched his head in his hands again, letting out a low groan.

"And on top of that, whatever they used to poison water in Spring Valley, it caused us to hallucinate. And now I don't even know which memories are real anymore. Everything is messed up. Sometimes I recall Sam being the first Wraith I killed, even though I'm sure it wasn't her. Then I see scenes of us, that I'm sure never happened."

He let out a stuttering breath, his voice quiet now.

"The harder I try to recall, the worse it gets. I'm sure I stopped him, but if Toto was right, and she did turn into a Harrowed…" He looked up, at his friends, and smiled bitterly. "Then I killed her."

"Can't you find out? If we ask around, I'm sure we would be able to find out what happened to her." Ren pointed out after a few moments of silence.

Jaune chuckled.

"Oh, it would be much easier than you think. I'm sure my parents know all about it. And I know they were on their way to visit me. The doctors said so."

Ruby looked up at him, confused.

"Then why did you leave? If you knew they were coming, and that they would have answers for you, why not wait for them?"

Jaune couldn't meet her eyes. He ran his hand through his hair, looking to the side - only to meet Nora's concerned gaze. After a few moments of looking around, he realized there was no safe place to look, without meeting one of his friends' eyes. He rubbed his face with one hand, and let out a tired sigh.

"I guess… I just got scared of what the answer would be. When I heard the Company representative say there was a Ghoul problem in the city, I signed up without even thinking. I wanted some time to sort things out, and…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"Killing monsters is easy. Simple. There's not much to confuse you here. I figured that an easy job like that will help me clear my mind." He chuckled. "Didn't work out too well. But hey, at least we got to talk a few things out. So it's not like it was a total waste of time…" he laughed, but it was deprived of any joy.

Weiss squeezed his hand, and got up.

"Jaune." He looked up at her, uncertain.

"We have to go. You can't deny it any longer."

"Yeah." he got up, and took a deep breath, a small, bitter smile on his lips."Let's go."

* * *

Jaune placed a hand on the cold surface, staring at it blankly. The conversation with his parents was emotional, but quick. After he explained why he ran off, they gave him the answer he wanted, that he needed. So now he was here, trying to gather his thoughts.

It wasn't going too well.

He could see his friends out of the the corner of his eye. They were standing some distance away, enough to let him pretend that he was alone if he needed, but close enough that he knew he had their support. He was thankful for that.

Blindsided again, and shook his head. He had a feeling that he should say something, even if the person he was talking to couldn't hear, or answer him.

"Hi, Sam. Sorry I'm visiting only now. Been busy with… things." He said finally.

"So many things have happened in the past six months that I don't even know where to start. I got accepted to Beacon you know? Leon set it up for me, the old bastard." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I long since gave up any hope that I'd get the chance to study there. And yes, I know you said it was too early to give up. I guess you were right." He stood there for a few moments, smiling at memories of good old times. Then his face hardened.

"And I'm still chasing the bastard that did this to you. Well, it turns out it might be 'Bastards.' Found out he had at least one friend that was helping him out."

"I'll find him. Or them. It doesn't matter how far they run, or how well they will hide. I'll find them, and I'll put them to justice." He smiled again, but this time it was vicious, like a wild animal bearing its teeth at its prey.

"And if they resist, I'll deal with them too. As a Witcher."

* * *

 **Well here it is. Jaune has a little heart-to-heart with his friends. A few things are explained, a few remain mystery. How will the knowledge of Jaune's not-so-secret occupation will affect his friends? Well, only one way to find out.**

 **Anyway, here is this week's omake.**

* * *

Jaune sighed for the uptenth time, poking his dinner with his fork absemindly. They were sitting in a small pub somewhere on the outskirts of Mistral. Six days had passed since he woke up after his fight with the Ursa. After explaining what happened, Leon seemed conflicted on whether or not to tell him off for taking such risk, or not. Eventually he agreed that Jaune had little choice but to fight the monster, and let the matter go.

Or at least that was what the blond Hunter-to-be thought, right up until their first training session after he woke up. They separated from caravan two days after he woke up. Leon gave him two more to rest, and on fifth one asked if Jaune wanted a regular training session, or a serious one. At that moment blond boy made arguably worst decision of his life.

Serious training was, to put it simply, brutal. Only then did Jaune truly understand just how strong Leon was. He could barely understand what was going on. After Leon finished beating the living hell out of him, he announced to let it be a reminder to not get into things way over his head.

"There are two types of Hunters out there." He said, leaning lazily on his training sword over a barely conscious Jaune. "Reckless ones, who charge into fights blindly over and over again, and living ones. I'll let you decide which group you want to be part of."

The next training session was much more manageable, though the young boy still walked out of it aching all over his body.

Jaune sighed again, and this time it was accompanied with another, from opposite of him.

"I think I know the answer, but just to clarify… what's got you so down?"

Jaune looked up at Leon, who was watching him curiously.

 _Is it really so obvious I'm down?_ He thought idly.

"Well, yeah. Just look at yourself."

Jaune blinked a few times, staring at Leon.

"Wait, did I said that out loud?"

"No."

 _How? Is it his Semblance…_

"No, my Semblance is not mind reading."

Jaune just started at the man, doing his best impression of a goldfish.

Leon smirked at him.

"You are just easy to read. You've been down ever since that drinking incident, save moments you got distracted with other things." He eyed his young companion for a few moments, then shook his head. "It's about your Semblance, isn't it?"

Jaune just nodded. There wasn't any point in hiding it.

"I mean... It's just so useless!" He whined, but Leon stopped him before he could break into a rant.

"Really? How can you say so, if we don't even know what exactly it's doing?"

"What do you mean? We know it prevents me from getting drunk. Best Semblance ever, right there."

Leon poked his food a few times with his fork, then pointed utensil at the sulking boy..

"How?"

Jaune blinked, confused.

"How, what?"

"How is your Semblance doing it? Preventing you from getting drunk?"

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, then clicked it shut. To be fair - he had no idea. He was so busy moping around about what he knew his Semblance could do, that he didn't bother to ask, _how_ it did it.

Leon smirked, seeing his pupil's expression change.

"Now that is the question, isn't it? Never judge a book by its cover, Jaune. Sure, we know your Semblance can prevent you from getting drunk, but that's just an end effect. But how exactly? Maybe it's some kind of poison immunity? You drank enough alcohol to bring two or three grown men down, and you didn't even have a hangover. Or maybe it's some kind of mental protection, where it prevents you from being knocked out. If we judged the usefulness of Semblances solely based on its first application discovered, I think mine would be most useless of them all."

Jaune leaned a bit closer to his teacher. He realized it only now, but he had no idea what Leon's Semblance was. Kinda sad, considering they spent so much time traveling together.

"What was it? The first time you used your Semblance, what did it do? And what it is?" He asked excitedly.

Leon leaned in his chair, and hummed, gathering his thoughts.

"I was traveling through some forest, and there were these mosquitos. They were annoying as hell, couldn't get rid of them. At some point, they started randomly changing direction, always away from me. At the time, I thought that through sheer annoyance I developed a Semblance that was basically bug repellent."

Jaune chuckled. Well, yeah, hearing that made his own sound much better. After all, any Hunter could just use Aura to protect themselves from annoying bugs.

"Took me some time, before I finally realized what it was." He drew a metal ball from his pocket, only about a centimeter in diameter, and threw it up. The small piece of metal went up, and then suddenly shot forward and smacked Jaune in the forehead.

"It's a form of telekinesis. Allows me to do some pretty neat things." He looked around and called the waitress.

"If you want to know more, I'll tell you on the road. Don't want to spill all my secrets here. Never know who is listening."

Jaune just nodded, and quickly finished his food. He simply couldn't wait to hear more about it.

* * *

"So, you want to know more?"

Jaune nodded, eager to hear the rest of the story. He held his curiosity back for two days, when Leon was taking care of some things in Mistral. Now, they were about a day's walk away from the city, sitting around a small campfire.

Leon threw another piece of wood on the fire and hummed.

"Did you know that telekinesis is one of the most popular Semblances? Around thirty percent of registered Semblances are some form of telekinesis."

Jaune shook his head. He didn't know that.

Leon chuckled.

"They are so popular, that some folks figured out a ranking systems. They check out versatility, power, and other such nonsense to figure how powerful your Semblance is. Load of bulshit, if you ask me."

"According to this ranking, mine is basically bottom tier."

Leon paused or a moment, thinking about something. Then he kicked small rock, instead of flying forward like it should, it went to the side - and with much more speed than it should.

"All I can do is change the speed and direction of an object near me. It has a very limited range, only around two meters. I have to actually notice said object, so no bullet deflecting from me, and for me to take control of it it has to be already in motion. Oh, and there is a weight limit - max I can effect is about three kilograms. And the more energy an object has, the closer to me it has to get in order for me to take control."

Jaune hummed. That was very restrictive. Still sounded more useful than not getting drunk, but not by much.

"But there's more to it, right?"

Leon shook his head.

"No. That's it. All I can do is change the speed and direction of very small, and light objects that are in motion around me. And I'm restricted to a max weight - so if you throw, let's say, two rocks, two kilograms each, I will be able to take control of only one, since the total mass is above my limit. I will be able to manipulate the second one, only when first leaves my 'control zone.'"

"So, as you can see - it's rather weak in comparison to, let's say, Glynda Goodwitch. She can do stuff that honestly is borderline magic. But…" he smirked.

"Mine has its advantages too. For example - even though I'm limited to a certain weight, I'm not limited by number. I can control as many things as I want, so long as their combined mass does not exceeds three kilograms. I can activate it much faster than most people with telekinesis, and there is nothing to give away that I'm using it. What's more, even when they leave my control zone, they will still travel at the speed I sent them off. Still, many people laugh it of as a non factor in combat." He chuckled, leaned down, and picked five or six small rocks.

"Not something you would consider a weapon, right?" He asked. Jaune hummed in agreement. Leon smirked.

"But If you speed it up enough…" He threw them up, and this time all the rocks flew behind Leon, so fast that Jaune couldn't even see where they went. The only thing he noticed was the sound of something hard impacting wood, and then a few holes in the trunk of a tree behind Leon that definitely weren't there before.

"If you have a strong stomach, you can look up photos of victims of sandstorms in Vacuo. Some people had their skin peeled off by sand traveling almost three hundred kilometers per hour. Now, image what those could do, if they were traveling at two times the speed of sound."

Jaune started imagining, then stopped. It sounded… nasty.

"And now imagine that it's not sand, but for example, this." He pulled small pouch from his belt, and opened it for Jaune to see. There were multiple pieces of metal in there, each diamond shaped, about two centimeters long and one wide, very thin, and by the looks of it, very sharp. He tentatively reached out, and Leon placed the pouch in his hand. It weighed around two kilograms.

Jaune imagined its contents flying at him at the speed of sound and swallowed. That was something he didn't want to experience, Aura or not.

"Of course, I didn't' know I could do all of that form the beginning. It was also possible I couldn't - Semblances, just like muscles, or Aura, can be trained. And they can evolve."

Leon looked in the eyes of his student, and smiled.

"So don't go wasting time complaining that you got dealt a bad hand. Instead, try to figure out what you can do with it. And who knows? It might turn out ot be something pretty cool."

Jaune smiled. Leon was right, as always. Moping around wouldn't help him, but learning more about his Semblance?

He nodded.

"Hey, Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we just left, but… do you think we could go back to Mistral? I think there is some research I need to do."

"Sure thing. But not now. I have a job in a village not far from here that I need to take care of. So your research will have to wait for like four or five days."

Jaune just nodded, and stretched.

He had no time to be feeling down. There were still a lot of things he needed to learn to be Hunter.

* * *

 **Well, this is it. Not much to talk about this time. See ya next week.**


	23. Calm After Storm

**Welcome to CH 22 of TPA. JJD is the one keeping this madness contained.**

* * *

Jaune awoke with a gasp, hand reaching for his sword, eyes scanning for any incoming threats. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he lashed out, trying desperately to free himself…

"Jaune, it's me! Calm down, everything is alright."

He stilled at the sound of a familiar voice. He looked around, only now taking in the details. He wasn't in some misty forest, or damp cave, or ruined town. There were no monsters around, trying to devour him whole.

Instead, he was in a familiar room, lying in a familiar bed. He looked at the hand that was resting on his shoulder, his eyes trailing up it, until he met gentle, green eyes, now filled with concern.

"P-Pyrrha?" He choked out.

His partner sent him a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Yes, it's me. Everything is alright Jaune. We're at Beacon, and everyone is fine. It's Thursday, but classes were canceled until next week, so we don't need to rush anywhere."

The blond boy scanned the room, noticing his teammates sending him easy smiles, and slowly relaxed.

"Thanks. I'm good now."

She looked at him for a few more moments, then nodded.

"What time it is anyway?" He asked, sitting up and slapping his cheeks to wake himself up.

"Almost ten." Answered Ren from over the book he was reading.

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"That late? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Who knows…" Nora trailed off, a sly smile on her lips.

Jaune looked to Ren, who just shrugged, then to Pyrrha, who for some reason didn't want to meet his eyes.

Realizing he wasn't get a proper answer, he got up and stretched. Then he froze.

There was something he was forgetting about, he was sure about it. Something important…

"Your meeting with Miss Goodwitch is in a half an hour. You still have some time left."

Jaune winced. The meeting was part of the 'mandatory consultation for students that suffered a traumatic experience on a mission,' as Ozpin put it. Even though Jaune didn't think he really needed them, he agreed to attend without complaining. He did get drugged out of his mind and had some pretty nasty hallucinations after all. So, now he had to visit Miss Goodwitch in her office two times a week, for two months.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. He only had half an hour until the appointed time after all. Enough that he didn't have to rush to get up, but not enough to go to cafeteria and grab something to eat.

 _Oh well. It's not like I'll die if I go without food…_ his thoughts were interrupted by a plate with toast, vegetables, and meat being placed on the nightstand next to his bed.

"We didn't want to wake you up, so we just brought you some food from the cafeteria." Explained Pyrrha with a small smile.

Jaune blinked a few times, looking at every one of his teammates with wide eyes.

"You guys are the best team ever, you know that?"

Nora looked at him like he just stated the most obvious thing in the world.

"Duh, of course. I mean, it's us we are talking about."

He chuckled and went to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he paused in front of the mirror, looking himself over. There were no sign of corruption anywhere on his body, nor any new scars. Overall, despite how wrong whole mission went, none of them suffered too severe of injuries.

Jaune smiled at the thought. To his relief, it turned out he wasn't the sole survivor afterall. The Old Man, Foxy, and Doc all made it out alive, though the old Witcher lost his left eye. When Jaune commented on it, he just shrugged, saying this was supposed to be his last mission anyway, and now at least he had a decent reason to retire, other than old age. Both Doc and Foxy had only a few minor cuts, and were signed off after just two days.

None of them suffered any lasting effects from the poison used in Spring Valley, and the test they took showed no traces left of it in their bodies.

With a sigh, Jaune got dressed, and walked out of the bathroom. With his team busy with their own things, he just grabbed the plate and started to eat. Things had calmed down a bit, though the uproar after people learned that everyone in Spring Valley died was massive. Despite official statements saying otherwise, a lot of people started blaming the White Fang, and the Faunus in general, despite how many of them died in that city as well. There were some small incidents, but thankfully it didn't turned into full scale riots. Eventually, the Vale Police department announced that the one responsible was the same person who commited all the murders in Vale almost two weeks ago. Despite them having no real evidence to back it up, people easily accepted this, and Jaune was all too happy to provide any information he could about this so called 'Master.' He still couldn't recall his face, but apparently the rescue team recovered Toto's scroll, and they had found some leads there.

He finished his breakfast, and checked the time. Fifteen minutes till the appointed meeting. He better get going, it was safer to wait a bit, than make Miss Goodwitch wait.

He rose, and all eyes focused on him.

"You going already?" Asked Ren.

"Yeah. Better be too early, than too late."

They all nodded, and got up. Jaune sighed. For some reason his team, and team RWBY, decided they would escort him everywhere he went. This might have something to do with his parents asking them to look out for him...whether he liked it or not.

When he mentioned he didn't exactly need help to find his way around Beacon, when he went to his first meeting with Miss Goodwitch this past Tuesday, Weiss just snorted and said they didn't trust him to not get in some kind of mess on the way.

After realizing all his friends shared this opinion, he sighed and let himself be escorted. It's not like it harmed anyone, and he could think of worse things to happen than to walk through Beacon's corridors accompanied by five beautiful girls, and one cute one.

The amount of jealous glares he and Ren earned increased significantly because of this, but hey, who cared? Certainly not him.

They reached their destination after a short walk. Jaune knocked on the door, and after short wait, a 'come in' sounded from inside, he opened the door and walked into Miss Goodwitch's office.

The older woman looked up at him from over her glasses, and nodded once, pointing at a chair in front of her desk.

Jaune nodded back, and sat, patiently waiting for her to finish whatever paperwork she was busy with. It didn't take her long, and just a few moments later, she looked him in the eyes with a small smile.

"Welcome Mr. Arc. Before we begin, I must say I'm glad you agreed to these sessions. It was very mature of you."

Jaune chuckled

"Well yeah. I know how much talking things out can help after a mission that went to hell. Leon made sure of It. 'Talk it out, or beat it out - your choice,' he used to say."

Glynda raised a single eyebrow.

"Oh? And how did 'beating it out' work?"

Jaune winced at an old memory, and one of his many, many bad decisions.

"Literally. Very, very literally."

The older woman chuckled and shook her head.

"I think I can see Leon doing it. But I can assure you that we will not be using such methods, so you can rest easy."

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Wait, you know Leon?"

Goodwitch nodded once.

"Mostly by reputation. But he used to work here at Beacon, as a second Combat instructor…"

Jaune recoiled.

"Leon.. worked here? That doesn't sound like something he would do…"

".. for about two days. I seem to recall him storming into Ozpin office, _begging_ him to, I quote, 'let him back to the nice, safe wilds, away from this madness.'"

Jaune barked a laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds like something Leon would do."

He shook his head, then sighed.

"But I suppose we are not here to talk about my teacher, and his inability to deal with people?"

Glynda regarded him with a serious expression.

"How are you doing Jaune?" She asked after a few moments.

It was a nice, easy question. It could refer to a number of things. But Jaune was sure he knew it referred to one specific aspect of the mission.

"I… I'm not sure to be honest. It's not as bad as I expected it to be. It…" he paused, looking for the words. He took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. "It's not first time I've had to watch people die. Or grant them the last mercy." He sighed. "Anyway, how have things been in Vale? I know I lot of people lost family there."

She hummed sadly. "About as well as can be expected I suppose. Loss is always hard. You know that better than most, don't you? How well did you know Clay?"

The memory of that moment flooded back. A dark, damp cave. Clay's battered body. His calm expression and the words he spoke. A plea for help, the only help Jaune could offer him at that point. To not let a person he came to consider a friend turn into monster. To let him die as a human. With at least some semblance of dignity.

And, just a few moments later, the arrival of people that could truly help him. If only he had waited just a bit longer...

He shook his head, dispeling the thoughts. What was done, was done. No point in losing himself in what-ifs.

"Not that well honestly." He winced. "I guess I just kinda got used to it. I came to understand that in some cases, a swift death is the best thing you can offer someone. It wasn't that kind of situation, but at the time, I thought it was. I couldn't known that help was so close." He chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair, then looked up at the older woman, smiling sadly.

"I'm not blaming myself, if that is what you're asking. I been through it a few times, and Leon beat that sort of thinking out of me. Yeah, it sucks that it happened, and it sucks that Clay might have lived, if I only waited for a few more moments. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe the Headhunter that was standing behind me would have killed him in some horrific way. Maybe he would die on the way to hospital, then turn, and killed someone." He shrugged. "It happened, I made a decision, and now I have to live with it. We can never know what would have happened if I waited, but what I _do_ know is that the one truly responsible for Clay's death is this... Master." He spat the last word, as if it was worst curse.

So… yeah." He finished with a shrug. "I'm just glad that nobody from the school got involved."

Glynda watched him for a few moments appraisingly, elbows on her desk, fingers linked in front of her face.

"I see." She said finally. "I checked your records, and I saw several mentions of you being in similar situations in the past. I'm glad that you do not pretend that you are completely fine after what happened, or worse even - that you really are. So tell me, how are things with your team? These past few weeks found you rather busy with activities not necessarily linked to school. Are there any problems on that end?"

Jaune paused to consider the question.

"I.. don't think so. All of them are easy to get along with. Yeah, we didn't spend as much time together as we probably should, and I wasn't involved nearly as much as I probably should be, what with me being team leader, but…" He shrugged.

"It's not like I was completely out of the loop. We spent some time together, talked things out. Made plans for some team activities. Pyrrha offered to help me with fighting. Well all of us really. I think she was the one most bothered by the whole situation, but now that things have calmed down, she seems to have cheered up. Ren is chill, and a reasonable guy, he accepted that it wasn't me not trusting them, but suggested that in the future, I give them at least some details, so they don't worry too much. We talked a few times, and he offered to help me with my Elixirs. And Nora is… well, Nora." He ended with shrug.

The older woman chuckled.

"I see. I heard that you made your friends aware of you status as a Witcher. How did they take it?"

Jaune blinked in surprise. He honestly didn't expect this to come up.

"Umm... well, I guess? I never expected it to be a big deal, but it apparently was."

Goodwitch seemed to want to say something, but then just shook her head, mumbling something quietly.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" She asked eventually.

Jaune shrugged.

"Well, I think normal, student things? Unless I get myself involved in another mess."

"I was asking if you intend to pass some of your knowledge onto them."

Jaune blinked, confused.

"You mean... teach them?"

Goodwitch nodded.

Jaune started at her, dumbfounded.

"But… what?"

It was her turn to stare at him. When it became clear he really had no idea, she sighed, massaging her forehead.

"About Harrowed and Grimm."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.

"Jaune, you may not realize it, but you are in a unique position. It isn't uncommon for people with _some_ practical experience against Grimm to come to Beacon to study, and some combat prep schools do let their students go on missions with professional Hunters. In some cases, they let the best students shadow said professionals for a few weeks. But you have been doing it for _four years,_ and in regions much more dangerous that any school would dare send their students to. The amount of practical experience you have is far beyond what most, if not all students would have. And I'm not just talking about first years."

Jaune started at the older woman, wondering if it was some kind of joke. Because seriously - was she really suggesting that he knew that much more than the others? Sure Pyrrha seemed surprised when he told her about the pack tactics of Bewolves, and then was that one time after Grimm Studies Class… But it was just Beowolves! They were kind of his speciality. They were everywhere, you could hardly throw a rock without hitting one. After Jaune unlocked his Aura, Leon usually delegated him to deal with the wolflike Grimm, while the older man was dealing with bigger threats. This gave Jaune more time to study them, learn their behavior, how they acted, and so on. So sure, he might know a lot about them, but other Grimm?

All he knew was common knowledge. Every Hunter he knew, knew more than him. Like Leon. Sure he was a veteran, but there were others. Like his father!

Ok, he was veteran too. But there was Sam parents...

And his father's old team…

And a few of Leon's friends he met...

He strained his memory to think of any person involved in the Hunter business that he knew at least the name of, that was _not_ a veteran Hunter. It was surprisingly hard. Almost as if...

Wait, there was that old drunk that Leon called 'Birdy!' They only met a few times, and hadn't really talked much, beside that one time the old man gave Jaune a few pointers on how to properly grapple with someone. Yeah, he was totally a novice, and…

Jaune strained his memory even harder.

There was Crystal and her team! They were only twenty three, so they only had like, two years of experience! Not counting all the missions they took while they were students.

Or the ones his father took them on during, and even before they started attending Beacon...

Who else… Beside his team that is…

There were Butch, thought he wouldn't really call the man friend, more of an acquaintance.

Then there was the Old Man…

And Doc, even though they only exchanged a few words…

Foxy… with whom he didn't talk at all...

And…

Peter?

…

Oh.

Ohhhhhhhhh.

The realization finally settled in. How he never noticed that just about everyone he knew was an experienced Hunter? Sure, there was his mother and younger sisters, but for one, they were civilians, and for two, they still knew a lot about Grimm.

Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair, his usual nervous tick.

"To be honest, I never thought about it. I always assumed that what I knew was common knowledge. I mean, they all have four years of studying under their belts, and me…" he chuckled nervously.

"I didn't even get into combat school. Sure, Leon taught me a lot, but he always warned me to not get in over my head. "

Goodwitch shook her head.

"It's good to be humble Jaune, but underestimating your own abilities can be as, or even more, dangerous than overestimating them. Not only for you, but for the people you will be working with. During those four years, you surely learned many things we either don't have time, or means, to teach our students here at Beacon. And when it comes to your knowledge about Harrowed - it's far beyond anything that is taught at school."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"Really?" his eyes narrowed "What exactly _are_ you teaching then?"

Glynda let out a tired sigh.

"Basics. A bit about they behavior, categories and main differences between them, that sort of things. Really, it all comes down to us saying 'Harrowed are monsters, similar to Grimm. Kill on sight.' The Council prefers to let people believe that they are just different type of Grimm, instead of having general populace be terrified of _two_ separate kind of monsters that wants to kill us all, especially if one of them are basically dead people." She shrugged. "And besides, we can't tell for sure that they are _not_ Grimm.."

Jaune hummed. Well, that... made sense? Kinda?

"So what, you want me to run my team trough Witcher preparation course?" He asked, half-jokingly.

"I don't 'want' you to do anything Jaune. I'm just pointing out you have a lot of valuable knowledge - and it certainly wouldn't hurt anyone if you would share it with your friends." She answered seriously.

Jaune snorted. Yeah sure. This was really… dumb…

Wait, now that he thought about it… why not? They were sure to encounter Harrowed sooner or later, and if he could help them prepare, there were no real reason not to.

If they wanted to, that is. He wasn't so sure about that part, but it was worth a shot.

"Well, I'll be honest about it - I never even considered the idea. Though now I'm not sure why." He laughed.

The older woman sent him a small smile and nod.

"Then I'm glad I mentioned it. I'm sure this will be a valuable experience for everyone. But for now, let us focus on the main reason you are here. Tell me Jaune, when you were in Spring Valley…" from there, they talked about his last mission for about half an hour. Eventually, Miss Goodwitch let him go, setting their next meeting for Monday afternoon.

Both teams were waiting patiently for him. He smiled, mulling over the idea that Glynda planted in his head. It would require some arrangements, but it shouldn't be too hard. He shook his head and followed his friends to the cafeteria for an early launch.

Well, he would talk to them about it later.

* * *

Cardin Winchester leaned back in his chair and smiled. It was a good day. He got to show some wimps their place, knock around some Faunus trash - seriously, why they let animals in a school for Hunters was beyond him - and none of the staff caught him. And on top of that, lessons were still canceled. Of course, unlike most morons he didn't use all this free time just for lazing around - he made sure his team didn't skip practice.

They were good, sure, but that didn't mean they couldn't become better. Especially considering the fact that, surprisingly, they weren't the top team in Beacon. And as hard as it was to say, after some cru… very close matches, he couldn't deny that teams NPR and RWBY were better than them. And yes, team NPR, not JNPR. Cardin refused to acknowledge a weakling such as Jaune Arc.

His face twisted in a grimace. Just thinking about the name left a bad taste in his mouth.

Seriously, who the hell did this guy think he was? Not only did he make himself comfortable as the partner of _the_ Pyrrha Nikos, he even was made leader of his team! At first he was willing to give blond, tall and scraggy a chance to prove himself, but Arc was excused from every combat class so far. Why, no one knew, but considering he was the only one who still hadn't fought in Goodwitch's class, you didn't need to be as smart as Cardin to figure out something was up.

Dove, one of his teammates, nudged his arm, and nodded towards the door of the cafeteria.

Cardin's scowl grew even fiercer.

 _Speak of the devil…_

Here was Jaune Arc, not a single care in the world, surrounded by all the top girls among the first years.

"Look at him, getting all that attention, thinking he's better than us." Dove spat.

"Yeah, And all he does is hide behind his partner. And that mission he was sent on? I heard he was so scared when he got back he needs to have therapy sessions with Goodwitch." Sky Lark snorted.

Cardin just shook his head. Guy went on a mission, saw a few Grimm, maybe a body or two, and broke already? Pathetic.

"Someone should show him his place. Beacon is not a place for whiny little bitches like him." Russell cracked his knuckles.

Cardin nodded to himself. Yeah, he agreed wholeheartedly. But how should they go about it? The little blond bitch was always accompanied by at least one of his friends. And he had no doubt that he will run crying straight to Goodwitch if someone so much as shoved him aside. If only he could separate Jaune from his friends, it would be so much easier.

"By the way, are you gonna compete in the…" Dove began, but shut up under his leader's glare. That was not something to talk about in public like that. They didn't want to risk the wrath of the Queen. And then it struck him. It was so simple, he had no idea why he didn't think of it before. Not only it would allow him to show the little blond Hunter-wannabe his place, he would be able to do it in front of an adoring audience. He grinned viciously.

"Of course. And I think I'll be nice enough to introduce our blond friend to it."

His team looked at him in surprise, but they soon caught on what he intended to do. They smiled viciously. Dove however hummed, looking at the blond team leader talking with his friends.

"But… how do you intend to drag him there? I mean the Queen doesn't let everyone in, and even if she was interested in him, do you really think that he has the balls to come?"

Cardin grinned.

"Oh, I think he will have little choice in the matter."

* * *

 **And here we are. Some info about what effect tragedy in Spring Valley had on Vale, nd on Jaune himself. You didn't think he would get out of it without some mental scars, did you?**

 **Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned it already, but the Jaune in this story doesn't have as big of self-esteem issues as the cannon one.**

 **But 'not as big' doesn't mean 'none'. He doesn't think of himself as failure, more so that he is... average. Bar some exceptions (like his cooking skills, or...let's call it alchemy) that he takes pride in, he is sure that he is nothing special. That's why he never considered telling his friends that he is a Witcher - he simply believed that it's something not worth mentioning.**

 **And now, thanks to Glynda's suggestion, he has something to think about. Does this mean we will have a few more Witchers in this story? Well, probably.**

 **Also, Cardin. What has he gotten himself into? And who is this Queen he was talking about? Did he advanced from simple bully to 'evil boss minion'? Or is something else going on here?**

 **Who knows. I'm not sure I do, and I'm author.**

 **And here is this week omake. I wrote it some time ago, and was waiting for a good place to put it. I guess there is no point in waiting anymore.**

 **JJD: Cr00cy and I have the same story telling method. It's called the 'who the fuck knows,' school of thought.**

* * *

 **First Time.**

Jaune was running through the forest in state that was not really panic - but really close to it. The tracks were still fresh, and clearly visible - the group of bandits he was chasing didn't bother to cover them. Though so many people - about ten bandits and the twenty villagers they kidnapped - walking through the forest were bound to leave a clear trail. All of this reminded him of another village, another forest, and another bandit raid, that happened not even a week ago.

Back then, they'd reached the village when the attack was still underway. Back then. Leon managed to take out most of the bandits before they left village. Back then, Jaune was taking care of the wounded, and learned about a small group - only five or so people - by accident.

Back then, he messed up bad, and a young, innocent woman had to pay the price for his mistake.

This time, when they burst into raided village, the bandits already left. The local doctor was taking care of the wounded. After some brief questioning, they learned that the bandits split into two groups - a smaller one with only about ten men went north, taking most of the young women from the village with them.

The other group - about thirty men strong, went north-east, carrying the stolen goods.

After some brief consideration, Leon and Jaune decided to split up. The older Hunter would go after the bigger group, where, according to villagers, the leader was, and take them out. Jaune would track the second group and make sure to leave clear marks for Leon to follow.

 _Not like it's needed._ He thought, looking at all the tracks clearly visible in the soft soil.

It didn't take him long to find the bandits. Hidden behind a tree, he observed the group of five rugged men sitting around a small campfire, drinking and laughing.

 _Good. As long as they're just drinking, the hostages are safe. And they will be easier to deal with once Leon gets here._

One of the men get up, staggered, and then walked towards the cart sitting nearby.

 _That has to be where they are keeping the hostages._

This was confirmed when the bandit got back to his companions, dragging a young girl with him.

When the men started tearing her clothes away, Jaune tensed, memory of different clearing, in a different forest flashing before his eyes. He tensed, ready to sprint out of cover and help the girl. But stopped himself.

 _Don't. You failed against two guys, here you have five - and another five missing. If you go in, you will just make things worse._

He closed his eyes and desperately tried to ignore the sounds he was hearing.

 _Hurry up Leon. Please hurry up._

Suddenly, a painful cry shocked him out of his thoughts - mostly because it was a manly voice crying.

He looked back to clearing to see one man clutching his face with one hand, and two others holding the struggling girl. The bandits argued about something for a few moments, before the one who got hurt walked back to girl. Steel flash in daylight - and her struggles stopped.

The bandits left the lifeless body, and walked towards the cart.

Jaune did nothing. He just stared mindlessly at bloodied and bruised body of the young girl. His mind stopped working, he couldn't formulate a single thought.

Only when the two men came back, dragging another girl with them, did Jaune's brain start working again. When they started to tear her clothes away, he could feel something stir inside of him. It started around his stomach, and was sending waves of cold and heat through his body.

Terror. That's what Jaune was feeling right now. He watched in terror as the, now naked, girl was thrown to the ground - not far from the lifeless form of the previous girl. This terror grew even further when the same man who killed the last one walked to the new victim, knife in hand. He was saying something, pointing the bloodied piece of steel first at the corpse, then at her. The message was clear enough that Jaune understood it even without hearing what the bandit said.

When the girl stilled, and just laid on the ground, without any sign of resistance, something snapped inside of the young Hunter.

 _How?_ He asked himself dumbly.

 _How can this be happening. How can people do such things to other people?_

He watched as man kneeled, apparently eager to finish what he couldn't last time.

 _They are like animals. No, not animals. More like wild beasts. Mons…_

And then it dawned on him.

About six months after he left with Leon, they stumbled on the first village raided by bandits. Jaune could still remember the terrified, hollow faces of villagers - people who lost their money, their homes, their loved ones. When Jaune asked how people could do something like that, he didn't expect his master to answer.

Back then, he didn't understood what Leon meant when he said that something like that could be done only by monsters. That there were borders, and rules that every person had to follow. If you break these rules, go past these borders - you are no longer a person. You are monster, no better, and maybe even worse than the Grimm.

But now he understood. He understood why the situation looked so hopeless to him. Why he couldn't think of anything he could do to help, and even why he failed so miserably the last time.

He was trying to protect people from other people. Of course he would fail - since it wasn't people attacking other people.

It was monsters attacking people.

Crocea Mors left its scabbard easily, like it was eager to start its bloody job.

Just like last time, the bandits didn't noticed him until he was almost upon them. Just like last time, he collided with his target at full speed, striking with all his might.

Unlike last time, he did it with his sword, not his shield.

It honestly surprised him how easily cold steel tore through flesh and muscle, pierced spine and lungs and erupted from chest. Jaune twisted his blade, and then tore it free, lashing at the monster to his right. He tried to defend himself, but a clumsy parry left him off-balance. Something the young Hunter quickly capitalized on, by removing his right leg.

The bandit fell with cry of pain, but Jaune paid him no heed - he was no longer a threat, so he focused on the remaining three.

A mace hit his shield, and slid down, its wielder stumbling forward. Crocea Mors bit into soft flesh, splitting his stomach open. Jaune spun, letting the third monster sail past him and fall to the ground. He got up to his knees, and apparently tried to decide whether to focus on keeping his insides from spilling out, or continue attacking.

Jaune helped him make the decision with a quick stab to the heart. When the lifeless body fell to the ground, he focused on the last two threats. They stood on the other side of the campfire, around eight meters from him. They watched him warily, weapons held at the ready. One had a crude spear, the other a decent looking sword and a small round shield. Both looked uncertain whether to attack or not.

Jaune didn't intended to let them choose. He charged straight at them, swinging his sword wildly, and roaring at the top of his lungs.

The bandits jumped aside, trying to flank him. Jaune blocked the spear with his shield, and knocked the other bandit's sword aside with his own. He tried to pursue the spearman - but he proved quite fast, and the blond Hunter earned a strike to his shoulder for his trouble. The blow didn't go past his Aura, but staggered him for a moment. The spearman stabbed, but Jaune blocked it, and jumped back. The swordsman followed, slashing towards the blond's neck. Blade impacted shield, and the young Hunter retaliated with his own slash. The bandit managed to block it with his shield. Jaune tried to follow up with a shield bash - but the spearman attacked again, forcing him to defend.

Jaune snarled. This was going nowhere - these two were too good at covering each other. He couldn't attack effectively because he had to use both his shield and sword to defend. If only he could block both attacks with his shield… And then idea struck him.

He had another shield, didn't he?

So, the next time the bandits attacked, he blocked spearman's strike with his shield, and purposefully left himself open for the swordsman's strike. Moments before the blade impacted his chest he focused as much Aura as he could on that place. Jaune expected a bit of pain, but hoped the swordsman would leave himself open for a counter after delivering what he thought was a deadly attack.

He didn't expect a flash of bright, white light. Both bandits screamed in surprise, the swordsman doubly so, when his weapon was pushed back by an invisible force. Not wanting to waste this sudden opportunity, Jaune lunged forward.

The bandit tried to raise his head - but he was too late. Crocea Mors bit into his chest, tearing lungs and heart. Jaune didn't pulled his sword back - but rather pushed to the side, splitting the bandit's chest open. He fell to the ground, and Jaune stepped over the dead body, eyes locked on the spearman.

He didn't look too intent on going one on one with someone who took out four of his companions in less than two minutes.

Jaune was about to charge ahead, but then noticed something that stopped him. The bandit's stance, stiff just a moment before, relaxed. He gripped his spear firmly, but not desperately.

The only warning Jaune got was the way the man's eyes shifted, and focused on something behind him, and small smirk appearing on his lips. Something heavy and metal impacted his hasty raised shield, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and stopped when his head hit a rock.

His vision swam, he couldn't focus, and felt like he was about to pass out. Instead, he forced himself to get up, and looked around to see who attacked him.

 _Fuck._

Was all that came to his mind when he took in the scene in front of him. There were ten more men in the clearing now, all rugged and armed - no doubt bandits. More were coming, and fanning out around one figure - a large, fat man, with a black beard, bald head and massive hammer in hand.

 _It has to be the second group. They got the loot wherever they wanted to get it, and reunited with the second team. Or just came for good time with the girls._

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

 _Fat-ass had to be the leader. Judging by his weapon, he had to have his Aura unlocked. It didn't look like a mecha-shift weapon, so he probably wasn't a rogue Hunter._

Still, the odds were not in his favor. Around thirty men now stood in the clearing. Even if none of them had Aura, Jaune doubted he could take them all on. And with their massive leader? Yep, this looked bad.

The sounds of footsteps from behind him made him curse.

"Language, kid. I know a man has to throw it out from time to time, but if Mei finds out I taught you such words, she will make a doormat from my hide."

Jaune actually laughed at his master's words. He let his arms fall to his sides - but he refused to fall to the ground. Not yet. Leon walked past him, scanning the mob of bandits in front of him. They were shouting something Jaune couldn't quite understand. It didn't really matter - they all were going to die soon.

"Hostages?" His mentor asked.

"In the cart."

"Casualties?"

"One dead hostage. Three dead bandits, one heavily wounded."

"Which one beat you up like that?"

"I'm not sure - I was hit from behind. But judging from the impact, it had to be fat one."

Leon nodded and started walking towards the bandits. Jaune forced himself to stay awake - and standing. He simply had to see it.

"So, you guys not only raided the village with one of my favorite bars, you also beat up my pupil. I do not appreciate this. I think I'll have you pay - with your lives."

Fat-ass answered something, but Jaune wasn't listening. Who cared what a dead man is saying? Not him, that's for sure.

Leon grabbed the handle of his sword. The bandit leader charged with a loud roar, taking a wide swing. The massive hammer was met by a silvery blade - that shattered into thousands of pieces almost instantly. There was a moment of stunned silence - and then the bandits cheered.

Their leader smirked and said something. Leon didn't answer.

The bandit said something again, and when he did not receive an answer - started shouting.

Leon just tilted his head to side, watching the massive man in front of him with a vague curiosity.

The bandit leader got bored, or angry, and raised his weapon to finish off the defenseless Hunter.

His arm ceased to exist. It wasn't cut off, or torn, or smashed, or anything like that. One moment a fat arm was raising massive weapon, the next it exploded into cloud of red mist. The bandit leader opened his mouth to scream - but he choked. Then more of the bloody mist exploded from his chest. A perfectly oval hole formed - Jaune could see some of the bandits through it. At first it was small, barely enough to fit a finger in, but in less than a second, it grew to size of a fist. More such spots appeared, turning flesh into mist.

After not even thirty seconds, the only thing left of the bandit leader was his clothes, weapon, and head - which Leon considered for a moment, then kicked at his cronies.

They all stepped back. Someone shouted something, and they looked ready to attack - but then his head exploded, splitting fragments of bone and brain all over the place. A lot of it landed on the bandits themselves.

Leon casually walked forward, still holding the hilt of his sword - the only thing that remained - with one hand. Then, slowly, the broken blade started to reform. In less than fifty seconds, one wouldn't be able to tell that it was broken at all.

Leon just continued to walk forward.

The bandits hesitated. They fell back a few steps. Someone shouted something.

Someone else shouted back.

They spread out, surrounding the lone Hunter. No one paid any attention to Jaune.

Leon stopped, content to wait for them to come. He didn't have to wait long.

Another shout sounded, and the bandits readied their weapons. Then, with a roar, they charged.

And then they died. Not single a one survived. This wasn't even a fight - it was a completely one-sided massacre.

Jaune smiled when he saw his master help the lone girl stand. Then he passed out.

* * *

Three days later, Jaune was standing alone, staring at a fresh grave. The girl he watched being raped and killed laid there. He had a feeling that he should feel something - anything.

But he didn't. He was just tried. Of this place, of people, of his own thoughts. He wanted to just curl up in some quiet place, and sleep.

After the bandit attack they escorted the kidnaped girls back to the village, but it quickly become clear that it was not a safe place. They barely sat down, when the Grimm came. The first wave was small - only five Beowolves. They were dealt with fast, but more followed.

It quickly became clear that the village was done for - the damage to walls was too great to fix, and over half of the residents were killed in the attack. Those who survived - mostly women, children, and elderly - couldn't hope to defend themselves. So yesterday the decision was made to abandon the ruined village. Jaune and Leon offered to escort the refugees to the nearest bigger city. Thankfully it wasn't a long walk - only a week or so.

When the villagers were making their preparations, Jaune excused himself and came to the graveyard. He came here often in these past three days. Each time he visited the same grave, each time feeling like he should say something. But he never did.

A familiar hand landed on his shoulder.

"You know what?" Said Jaune "I feel like I should say something. _Feel_ something. Anything. But I just... don't."

There was no answer from his companion - but Jaune didn't expected any.

"It's not even that I'm spent, or shocked. Or at least I don't think so. I'm just… I don't know."

He turned around and looked into Leon's eyes. There was no judgment there, just attention, and maybe some curiosity.

"I guess it doesn't matter now. We have villagers to escort. We can talk about what I feel - and what I don't - after we get these people to safety."

Leon nodded and they walked towards the village center.

The time for talk would come later. Now, they had job to do.

* * *

 **Yep, here it is. Jaune's first kill. It probably didn't come as surprise, considering how and when Jaune was learning to be a Hunter, and even what he said to Glynda. But I just thought I should make it clear. Jaune has killed people. And not only as act of mercy.**

 **Oh, and someone mentioned that even though there is a 'comedy' label on this story, there was not much to laugh at for few past chapters. So I thought I should do something about it. The next few chapters should be much lighter, without anyone dying, or dead people raising.**

 **Maybe.**

 **I'm not making any promises.**


	24. Ring of Masks

**Welcome to ch 23 of TPA.**

* * *

Jaune smiled happily, stretching. It was Saturday morning, the day was sunny and warm, despite it being fall, and nothing had tried to kill him the whole week. Not only that, he didn't get dragged into any messes involving hordes of monsters and madmen turning people into said monsters.

He let out a content sigh. It was really nice to just kick back and relax like this. Really, nothing could spoil…

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little blond Hunter-wannabe slacking off when his team is training? Why am I not surprised…"

Well, almost nothing.

"Cardin…" Jaune looked up and behind him, at the burly teen surrounded by his team. They were grinning, as if their leader just told some hilarious joke.

"Listen pal, I'm in a really good mood today, so be a bro and leave."

Cardin scowled and stomped towards the blond boy.

"Don't you fucking dare to call me 'bro' or 'pal'. Don't even speak to me. You disgusting piece of shit. You think you're some hot shit because you got on a good team? Well, guess what, you're not. I have no idea why Ozpin is giving you so much special treatment, or why he even let you in in the first place, but by now everyone knows you are just a coward, and a failure."

Jaune chose to ignore him. For reasons unknown to him, Cardin seemed to hate him even more ever since he had returned from Spring Valley. So far ignoring him proved to be a good enough tactic - besides the occasional insults, and harmless pranks, team CRDL left him alone.

Though the way they smirked every time they left made Jaune a little nervous. He was almost certain that the four of them were plotting something, but what could it be? He had no idea.

"Them again? What did they want this time?"

Jaune shrugged.

"The usual. Threw some jabs and walked away, pleased with themselves." He said, handing a bottle of water to his partner.

Pyrrha accepted it gratefully and took a few deep gulps.

"I know you said it's best to ignore them, but don't you think we should do something before this escalates?" She asked.

Jaune just shrugged.

"Not much we can do, beside luring them some deserted place, and beating the hell out of them."

Pyrrha chuckled.

"I bet Nora would love that."

"Yeah. But I have a feeling she wouldn't be the only one."

"Oh?"

Jaune smirked.

"I saw you glaring daggers at them more than a few times. And I saw some of those... 'friendly spars' you challenged them to." He shook his head. "I never thought I would say this, but I almost felt sorry for them."

It was Pyrrha's turn to smirk.

"Almost?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Almost. It was too entertaining to watch. Plus, they are assholes, so they deserve any beating they get."

Pyrrha hummed in agreement, and settled next to him. Jaune spared a glance at his partner. She just finished sparring with some third year, a match she won by ring-out. The fight didn't last long, but the light sheen of sweet on her skin proved it was not an easy win. Despite the rather large crowd surrounding them, most of whom only now stopped chanting her name, she wore a small, satisfied smile. He was glad she didn't seem as bothered by all attention she was getting, even though he wasn't sure what caused this.

They were sitting under a big tree near a strange structure that could be amphitheater, or some kind of open-air arena. Jaune wasn't sure which one it was, or why they didn't just use one of Beacon's training rooms. At first, he thought it was to avoid crowds - it wasn't uncommon for people to hunt them down and ask for a spar with Pyrrha.

But not long after they arrived, more people started to show up. Some of them trained by themselves, some challenged others to duels, a few seemed content to just watch the action. At some point, Nora and Ruby took command of the crowd, ordering them through different exercises. Judging by the fact everyone did what they said without any complaints, it appeared it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Right now, his hyperactive teammate stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by around thirty people. She was explaining something, waving her arms around wildly. Ruby was doing the same thing, a bit further away. After a few moments, the crowd split into two teams, some of people from audience joining in.

Jaune chuckled, and then closed his eyes, leaning on the trunk behind him. Normally he would be all too happy to join the wild melee that just started, but this time he restrained himself. He was mostly fine, the poison from Spring Valley didn't leave any serious after effects. At first, he had trouble with concentration, sometimes he felt disoriented, or forgot where he was, or what he was doing. One time he spaced out during a spar with Nora, and caught a hammer straight to the face. After that, they unanimously decided that he would not be fighting until doctors said he was ok.

Well, he certainly _felt_ fine - he hadn't spaced out for two days now, and his last nausea attack happened yesterday morning, and was rather weak. But there was no point in taking needless risk. He would get his check up today, and see what the doctors had to say. If they decided he needed more rest, he would. If not - well, he was sure his team would be more than happy to help him catch up on his training.

 _Speaking of which,_ he thought checking his scroll. He had only forty minutes until his check up. Unfortunately, for some reason he had to travel all the way to Vale's main hospital.

 _Oh well, no point in complaining._

He got up and stretched.

"Going to the hospital?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah. Still have some time, but maybe if I get there earlier, I'll get finished faster too."

"Want me to go with you?"

"If you want. Not that I need an escort, I'm pretty sure I can get there without any trouble."

"Well… I wouldn't be so sure. Given your track record…" Pyrrha stood up beside him, stretching.

"Oh, quit it already, will you?" He pouted, earning a laugh from his partner. Ever since Spring Valley Pyrrha seemed determined to keep and eye on him. Considering the fact he had nightmares almost every night, and the fact he once got lost on the way to the cafeteria, he couldn't really blame her. And it's not like her company was unpleasant. Quite the opposite.

He spared one last glance at the arena, where the melee was now in full swing. Nora stood in the middle of it, her hammer in constant motion, a maniacal grin on her face. He could see Ren there too, the green ninja was popping in and out of sight, striking fast and strong. He never stayed in one place for too long, instead choosing to disorient the opposite team with hit and run tactics.

Jaune smiled. He really was blessed with a wonderful team. They all could really take care of themselves - but even though it was better than them being incompetent there was a danger here too.

If they were taking so good care of themselves, it would be easy for him to neglect his duties as team leader. As he had been doing for the last four weeks.

 _No more._ He decided turning around, towards Beacon. _Starting Monday, I'm focusing on becoming a team leader befitting the best team in Beacon._

He smiled to himself. He could almost hear Ruby yelling 'second best!'

* * *

Cardin sighed, watching the pair of fellow students walk towards Beacon. Why Pyrrha Nikos, probably the best fighter of their generation, was so attached to this blond wimp, he couldn't comprehend. It wouldn't be hard to find someone more fitting her than her so called 'team leader.' Literally anyone else at Beacon would fit the bill.

"Hey Cardin, I've got something interesting."

The burly teen looked at his teammate and raised an eyebrow.

Sky Lark looked up from his scroll and grinned.

"So, this guy owes me a favor, right?. And he apparently knows a few information brokers in Vale, so I asked him to get us some intel on Jaune. And guess what? Our blond friend failed to get into combat prep school. And there is no record of him trying to get in again."

Cardin grinned. It was interesting information, to be sure. Not something that they could use to get annoying wuss expelled, but maybe it was enough to make his life just a tad bit harder. After all, if someone _accidentally_ mentioned it somewhere public, like for example the cafeteria, rumors would spread.

And then people would start asking questions. Like for example - how someone without any proper education got into a prestigious school such as Beacon?

"Good job. We can definitely use this."

"How?" Asked Dove, "just because he didn't go to combat prep school, doesn't mean he can't fight. I mean, that Ren guy didn't go to one, and look at him." He said pointing at the arena, where said green clad boy was fighting, holding off three people on his own. He wasn't winning - in fact he was slowly being pushed back, but it soon turned out to be a trap, when a pink girl with a massive hammer jumped in seemingly out of nowhere, earning three-man ring out with a single swing.

Cardin, and probably everyone else watching, winced. By now everyone knew the power behind Nora's swings.

"It doesn't matter if he can or can't fight." He said, letting out a breath of relief when all three people managed to get up. "All that matters is what people will believe. Give them a rumor, and they will blow it out of proportion. It might be nothing, but if he becomes the target of everyone - at very least he will be in a bad time. And at best… " he grinned viciously "The little whiny bitch will leave Beacon on his own."

His team snickered, applauding his great idea. Cardin smirked. One way or another, he would cleanse this school of that failure's presence.

* * *

"How did it go?"

Jaune turned to Pyrrha and smiled.

"Good. They say I'm pretty much fine - there is no sign of the poison left in my body. I can start training, but they said I shouldn't push myself too hard just yet, just to be safe."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

It was nice, he decided. He liked his wandering life, and after four years he seriously couldn't imagine himself sitting in one place for too long. And becoming student? At school?

No way. It sounded so... dull.

But so far, Beacon proved to be anything but dull.

 _Well, it might be because I don't exactly act like a normal student._ He chuckled to himself. They left the hospital, and seeing that the weather was nice and they were not in a hurry, decide to take a walk.

"So, what are you planning to do about them?" Pyrrha asked suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.

"About whom?"

"Cardin and his cronies. I know you said it's best to ignore them, but to be honest, I don't think he will stop. He seems to interpret it as you showing weakness."

Jaune hummed. Pyrrha made good point. He was hoping that Cardin would get bored if he didn't get a reaction from him, but his tactic seemed to have the opposite effect. Sooner or later, he would have to take action, and resolve the situation - before it escalated.

"Well, I think part of the problem is that he's never seen me fight. Since my recovery leave is finally over, I guess I'll just ask Miss Goodwitch to let us fight in her class. If I kick his ass in front of the whole year, he might calm down."

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Aren't we confident? You sure you can handle him?" She asked teasingly.

Jaune just snorted.

"Pyrrha, please. I know I might not be the best fighter out there, but come on. It's Cardin."

She giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. Jaune shook his head - and then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Pyrrha, want to grab something to eat? My treat."

She tilted her head, a small smile on her lips.

"Oh? What's the occasion?"

He shrugged.

"Nothing in particular. I just figured that we could hang out for a bit, seeing as there is no Nora around to spread chaos, or crazed fans to chase us around. "

Pyrrha glared at him, but her smile took all the edge out of it.

"Don't speak about them. They will hear you."

He chuckled, but looked around just to make sure. There were a few people looking at them - but it might be because they were armed. He did catch a few boys staring at Pyrrha a bit too long, and too intense for his liking.

 _Well, can't really blame them._ He thought, stealing a glance at his partner. She looked really good in Beacon uniform. It didn't revealed much, but certainly…

"Oh my, what do we have here. Two lovebirds on a secret date?"

Jaune and Pyrrha sighed in unison, looked at each other in surprise and chuckled.

"Hey, that's kind of rude, you know?"

"Sorry Yang. And no we are not on date. I had my check up, and Pyrrha offered to accompany me." Jaune said, turning around.

Sure enough, not two meters behind them, stood one Yang Xiao Long, her team a few paces behind the blonde brawler.

"Really? You hear that, Weiss? Pyrrha is making a move on your boy-toy. Shouldn't you be doing something about it? Or are you ok with sharing?"

Jaune groaned, hiding his face in his hands, while Weiss let out a tired sigh.

"I won't dignify that statement with an answer." She stated coldly.

"And I'm pretty sure I just said we are _not_ on a date." Jaune added.

Yang just shook her head.

"Ah, young love. So pure, so naive…"

"Leaving the barbarian, and her delusions, aside, how did your visit go Jaune? Are there any complications?" The heiress asked, completely ignoring the annoyed 'hey!' from the blonde brawler.

"Nah, I'm all good. They said that I should take it easy for a few more days, but other than that, I'm good to go."

The heiress nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"I'm happy to hear that…" She walked closer and placed one hand on his shoulder.

"Because this means we can spar, right? I think I really need a fresh opponent to fight against, been sparring against my team too much lately."

"Well, now that you mention it…"

The grip on his shoulder tightened.

"We will spar. Today."

Was it just him, or did the temperature dropped a few degrees?

"I don't think…"

Yep, the temperature was dropping. He could swear he saw a few snowflakes falling around the heiress.

"We. Will. Spar."

Jaune gulped. Weiss was looking at him intently, lips drawn in a thin line, eyes slightly narrowed.. He knew this expression, and what it heralded. With a resigned sigh, and hung head, he let out a grunt of affirmation.

The grip on his arm tightened even further.

"What was that?"

"Yes ma'am, we will spar."

Weiss smiled brightly and nodded.

"Good boy." She said patting his cheek.

"Wow." Yang whistled. " I could hear the crack of that whip loud and clear."

Her lips stretched into a very wolfish grin.

"Say.."

"So, where were you guys going? We planned on doing some shopping." Yang glared at her younger sister for interrupting her. But since the younger Huntress choose to completely ignore her, she shrugged. Oh well, she would tease Weiss later.

"Yeah, wanna join us? It'll be fun." She said instead, totally not smirking at the blond and oblivious boy.

She could see Weiss opening her mouth, no doubt to protest. But to her surprise, the heiress cupped her chin in one hand, and then nodded.

"Why not. What do you say Pyrrha? Want to join us? We can have Jaune help us pick stuff."

Yang shook her head. Damn, Weiss must be really angry at him, to so openly drag the poor guy into such a mess.

But why did this small smirk the heiress sent her way send shivers down her spine?

* * *

Yang's back hit the wall, eyes trailing after her fellow blondie.

"What… is happening?" Asked Blake.

Good question. Yang would love to know answer to that as well.

"Ok, try those. And this. And…" Jaune paused, giving the skirt he held a long, contemplative look. Then his gaze ventured to his partner, giving her a once over.

"No, I don't think this one will look good on you." He threw the piece of clothing to the side, and dashed back into the row of racks.

Pyrrha stared at the small pile of clothing her partner put in her hands with a conflicted expression.

Yang shook her head.

"This is insane. No man should be this good with fashion. This…" She paused when the blond boy materialized in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ok, Yang you _have_ to try this jacket, it was basically made for you!"

She didn't have time to say anything, as said jacket was pushed into her hands, Jaune gone in an instant.

With a sigh she got up, put it on and looked herself over in a nearby mirror. She looked good. Really good.

"Hey try this one." A pair of fingerless gloves, sunglasses and belt were pushed into her hands, along with some shorts and a shirt. She considered them for a few seconds then just shrugged and put it all in her bag. It was almost full by now, and so far every piece of clothing Jaune picked was a perfect match.

"Ok, seriously, I think there are a few important thing we need to address. Like for example - how is Mr. Noodle Knight so good at picking out clothes for girls? And how can he guess ou…"

"Hey Blake, try this out!" Asked a very excited blond. He was so proud of himself, that Yang had a sudden urge to pat him.

The black haired girl on the other hand, looked very uncertain. She carefully picked up whatever Jaune brought her, and stretched it out in front of her.

It was a dress. Sleeveless, long, and black, with one side cut off from bottom to above waist height.

Blake blushed a little.

"I don't think…" she began, but paused when Jaune tore the dress form her hands.

"Yeah, you are right, it's not you. Wait a moment, I think I saw something that will fit over there." He was gone moments later, leaving a very confused girl behind. He appeared moments later, carrying a bundle of clothing in one hand, the other grabbing Blake's shoulder and dragging her towards the changing rooms.

"Ok, this one will be good, I'm sure of it. Picked a few casual things for you on the way, I'm sure you will like them." He showed the stunned girl in the changing room,and turned around, a bright smile on his lips.

"Ruby!"

The young Huntress froze, letting out a startled yelp. She glanced towards the exit, wondering if she should use her Semblance to run away. This moment of hesitation cost her, when Jaune's hand landed on her shoulder.

"I picked something for you too." He handed her a small bundle of clothing, and disappeared among the racks again.

Ruby stared at it for a few seconds, then, with a resigned sigh, went to try it on.

"This is ridiculous." Yang shook her head, watching her sister disappear behind the doors. "This…"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. We just bought some clothing." Weiss called out from over her scroll. "Nothing to make a fuss about."

Yang glared at the heiress. She didn't even bothered to conceal her smirk.

"You knew." She said accusingly.

The heiress just a raised single eyebrow.

"What could you possibly be talking about?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about!"

"I'm afraid…" she began, but Yang had none of it. She stomped towards heiress, and grabbed her by the collar.

"We dragged Jaune to clothing store to make him suffer and squirm! I specifically picked the one that had both clothes _and_ lingerie on display. He should be flustered! He should be blushing,and stuttering, and be a perfect teasing target! He shouldn't act like this was what he's done his whole life!" She paused when said blond ran over to his partner, handing her another bundle of clothes. Then he ran to the heiress, handing her something.

Weiss thanked him, and put whatever it was on top of the small pile next to her. She didn't even bothered trying it on. She looked up on her teammate and smiled.

"You don't know half of it."

"Maybe, but for now I want to know only one thing - HOW?!"

"How, what?" Asked a masculine voice.

Yang took a deep breath, turned around, and stomped towards Jaune. One hand grabbed his collar, the other pointed towards her shopping bag.

"This. Explain. Now."

She wasn't sure what to think when Jaune seemed to instantly knew what she talked about. He even chuckled, bastard.

"Seven sisters." He answered with an easy smile.

Yang blinked, and let him go.

 _Ok, that is pretty good explanation._

"So, now that everyone has something, how about we go and grab something to eat?" He asked when Blake, Ruby and Pyrrha joined them.

"That sounds good." Pyrrha said, with a small smile.

The cafe they went to was small, but nice. They placed their orders and, after receiving permission from the owner, sat at two tables they pulled together.

"I must say, you surprised me Jaune-boy." Yang said, taking a sip of her coffee. "You sure you don't want to open a clothing store? With that sort of skill, you would make a fortune."

The blond boy laughed.

"Believe it or not, but I received several employment offers when I was in Atlas. But no, I'm pretty sure I prefer being a Hunter."

"And Witcher?" Blake added form over her book. Where did she hide that thing anyway? Yang could have swore she didn't have it just a few moments before.

Jaune shrugged.

"Honestly, there is no difference. A Witcher is just more… I guess you could say 'specialized' Hunter."

"I guess. But honestly that was impressive. I never thought someone could guess the measurements of five girls with a single glance." Yang's eyes narrowed. "Because you were guessing, right? It's not like you knew it beforehand?"

"Yang! Stop being mean!" Ruby whined.

"Nah, it's good. And yes, I did guess them."

"So, any more special skills you're hiding?"

"Well.." he trailed off. "I can do hair. And I'm a good dancer, very good cook, and an amazing herbalist. Oh, and I was told I'm rather skilled when it comes to massages."

Once upon a time, he might have included sewing in that list, but not anymore. He learned his lesson, thank you very much. Though, with the way four out of five girls gaped at him - Weiss already knowing all of this, mostly because she experienced it first-hand - they were impressed nonetheless.

"Massages you say?." Yang purred, leaning on the table, giving him a smirk, and a very generous view on her cleavage.

"Mind giving me a private session?"

Jaune chuckled and looked to the side, a faint hint of red on his cheek.

Yang leaned back and laughed.

"Oh man, you are too easy. You need to relax, if you keep blushing like that you might end up becoming a wizard."

"That's a lot of assumptions you are making there Yang."

All eyes focused on heiress, who just calmly sipped her tea.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, uncertain what Weiss meant.

The white haired girl smiled at her form over her cup.

"Jaune is actually quite worldly."

"... what?"

"Well, I did travel all around Remnant for four years. We visited quite a few places. And people in frontier villages tend to be more… open minded. If you know what I'm talking about." He said with a chuckle.

Yang looked between two of them, something akin to panic in her eyes.

"Wait, are you two seriously implying that Jaune did… the thing?" She asked.

"You mean sex?" Asked Weiss calmly

"Yes," she hissed, shooting a worried glance to Ruby.

"Well, think about it - I spent four years in the Wilds. I fought Grimm, bandits, corrupted police and bakers. Is it really so hard to believe one of girls I saved decided to show her gratitude in more than just words?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but clicked it shut. If half.. Scratch that, if a third, or even fourth of the stories her uncle Qrow told were true, it wasn't that uncommon for a traveling Hunter to get a fair bit of attention from village girls. Well, not only from village ones - just about any civilian girl dreamed of having a dashing Hunter as her boyfriend.

But then again it was Jaune. It simply couldn't be.

"You're bluffing." She challenged, but with a lot less certainty than she would like.

Weiss chuckled, and put her cup down.

"Well, I too am not sure Jaune any… encounters during his travels. It's something taken straight out of some romance novel after all…" Yang let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, there was no way…

"... But our late night... _sparrings…_ sometimes got very… intense."

She choked on her drink, staring at the heiress in utter shock. She wasn't the only one.

Jaune's chuckle made it even worse.

"Yeah, can't argue with that. Good thing those training rooms were soundproof." He paused, a broad smile on his lips.

"But I had to order more padding. You were far too rough sometimes." Weiss said with a pout.

Jaune laughed.

"Hey, it was you who always demanded I don't hold back. How could I deny such a request from lady? Especially in that kind of situation." He said with a wink.

Weiss chuckled. Then her eyes narrowed.

"True. But you held back from time to time. Don't think I didn't notice."

The blond boy held up his hand.

"Guilty as charged. But hey, in my defense - you liked to it when you could finish on top from time to time."

"Excuse me? I was always on top." She smirked at him. " Without a table to throw me onto, your pitiful skills were no match for mine."

"At first, sure. But you never lasted long in that position. Face it princess, in the long run stamina is king."

She sighed.

"And I can't deny you had absurd amount of it."

Jaune laughed.

"Yeah, but it was never easy." He looked the heiress in the eyes, half smiling. "But I must admit, you never cease to surprise me. Some of the ideas you had…" he shook his head.

"Please. None of what I came up with come close to you. Attacking me like that in the gardens? In broad daylight?" She looked to the side shyly. "What if someone had seen…?"

Jaune shrugged.

"First of all, you asked for it. Second - I made sure the coast was clear. Wouldn't do for our fun to be interrupted." He shook his head. "Those were fun times."

"They were." She hummed, looking at blond intensely, then she licked her lips. "And I've been missing them. Ever since Beacon started, I was waiting for you to invite me for some one on one action, but you never did. Forcing a girl to be the one asking? How rude." She pouted again.

Jaune smirked.

"Don't be like that Weiss. You love to be the one in control. And I already agreed to spar, didn't I? We can do it just like old times. Meet up around midnight, take some unused training room, and go for it until we're out of breath." He grinned, leaning on the table. "Or would you prefer to do it in the gardens?"

"Oh my, aren't we bold, Mr. Arc? Making such propositions to a lady? I think it deserves punishment. One that I will administer personally."

Two hands slammed on the table followed shortly by a high pitched voice.

"Ok, time out. Stop this at once!"

Jaune and Weiss stared each other in the eyes for a few more moments, then both of them looked at a fuming Yang.

"Oh, my. Did something happen?" Jaune asked innocently.

"She looks flustered. Don't tell me it is because of us planning our fun time?"

Yang tried to answer, but no words come out of her mouth.

Weiss blinked, surprised. Then grinned.

"Oh, my. What a surprise. The great Yang Xiao Long, always so confident, always ready to tease others. But shocked by this? It almost as if you didn't have any experience in the matter."

Yang blushed.

Weiss grinned even harder.

"Really? Oh my, apologies. We thought we were in more… advanced company. We didn't intended to make you feel… inexperienced. I'm sure you can do it if you just try a bit harder. Right, Jaune?"

"Sure. I don't see why not."

"In fact, you could join us tonight. I'm certain Jaune wouldn't mind, right?"

Yang blinked. "Wha…"

Jaune laughed.

"Of course. I'm always ready to help a friend."

"Wait, what?" Yang repeated, panic evident in her voice.

"And don't worry about him running out of… _steam_ halfway through." Weiss purred. "He has lots of stamina."

The blond boy rubbed back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, after the training you and your sister put me through? I think I can handle you and Yang. But.." he looked blond girl over with concern. "Don't you think it might be too much for her? I mean, we took it slowly at first too. I think it was over two weeks before we asked Winter to join us."

The blond brawler was starting to hyperventilate.

"You are right" Weiss hummed, tapping her lips with her index finger. Then she looked up at her teammate, and smiled. "What do you say, Yang? You ok with all of us going at it? Or do you want Jaune to ease you into it?"

"What…" said girl stammered, looking at Weiss in shock.

"Or maybe…" the heiress drawled,getting up and slowly walking to wide-eyed Yang. One slender arm wrapped around her shoulders, Weiss leaning so close that her lips almost touched Yang's ear "...you would prefer it to be me?" She whispered.

The blonde brawler yelped, and jumped back. Her leg caught her chair,and she fell over, eyes wide in panic.

"You are bluffing." She said, pointing a finger accusingly at the heiress. "You are just messing with me! Both of you!"

Weiss smirked.

"Only if you ask nicely."

Yang looked like she was about to explode.

"Wait." Everyone looked to Ruby, who sat there, her arms crossed, and an expression of intense focus on her face.

"I get the Grimm, and bandits, that's normal. Corrupt Police officers? Sure, it's cool and all. But bakers?"

"What?" asked Blake. She - as everyone else - had a little trouble understanding what she was talking about. Not after what they just saw, and heard.

"Jaune said he was fighting Grimm, bandits, Corrupted Police -and bakers! What do bakers have to do with the others? They are making cookies! They can't be bad!"

Jaune chuckled.

"It's a long story. And a crazy one."

"Well…" Yang got up,and sat on her chair, one elbow on the table, and head resting in the open palm.. "We have time, so, unless it's some secret, I think we would like to hear it."

"You sure about this? It's _really_ crazy story."

"Can't be worse than what we already learned." Said Blake

Jaune shrugged and started talking.

An hour and a half alter, Blake had to admit she was wrong.

It was definitely craziest thing she'd ever heard.

* * *

"I hate you." Said Yang for the hundredth time, her arms crossed under her breasts, a fierce pout on her face.

"Hey, you brought it upon yourself." Jaune defended for the hundredth time.

"I still hate you."

"Yeah, you did mention it."

"Because I really hate you."

Jaune shook his head, and looked over bullhead they were riding in. It was almost empty, save for three or four other students that didn't pay much attention to them. He looked back to Yang, who tried to glare at him,and not look at him at the same time, with predictable results.

"Just drop it Yang. You lost at your own game - time to accept it." Said Weiss, not even looking up from her scroll.

"I hate you too. And you. I hate all of you."

After Jaune's tale of how he and Leon brought end to baker gangs war in a particular town - and it's better if you don't ask - they continued to talk for three more hours. For the most part, Yang tried to force Jaune to admit he was in fact still a virgin. Eventually he did so, but it was after nearly an hour of them teasing the blonde brawler.

What? They had to get revenge for all the puns somehow.

They decided to get back when Ruby mentioned some event would be starting soon. It got all the girls strangely excited. Jaune himself had no idea what it was about - but as Ruby explained, it was something that was planned out last Friday - so right after he went off to fight a horde of monsters.

Talk about unfair.

Surprisingly, none of girls wanted to share any details, saying that 'he would see for himself soon enough.' The only thing he learned was that Nora was somehow involved in it - and that did worry him a bit.

But honestly, how bad could it be?

* * *

Very bad, as it turned out about three hours later. It was nearly ten, long since sunset, and also technical post curfew.

Though none of the almost two hundred masked, and cloaked figures gathered at this amphitheater/arena thing his team showed him earlier seemed to care. Jaune could feel the atmosphere of excitement, but more than that, he felt confused.

"So… a little context for all of this?"

Ren, who also wore an ornate mask - and where he got it was a question for another time - sighed.

"You want the short or long version?"

Jaune hummed, thinking it over.

"Hit me with the long." He had a feeling that short would make it even more confusing.

"So, you know how Pyrrha has anxiety about being the center of attention?"

"Yeah."

"So she pretends it doesn't bother her anymore, but we could tell it wasn't the case. Especially when some pricks started picking on her, calling her fraud and cheater, that didn't helped."

Jaune tensed. Someone was picking on his team? Unforgivable.

"What happened to them?"

"They were dealt with." There was a strange… finality in the way Ren said this. Jaune couldn't see his teammate's face because of mask, but he had a strange feeling the other boy was smirking.

"Okay…But I would like some details later. For now, let's get back on topic."

"So, after we dealt with these guys, Nora figured that Pyrrha should wear a mask when fighting."

"What?"

"A mask. She read some book… "Mask We Wear", or something like that. Quite an interesting read I must say. It was about something called 'theory of masks.' The gist of it is that, in author's opinion, we all wear metaphorical mask, that determine our behavior. And that hiding our face behind an actual mask can help someone deal with anxiety, or find their 'true self,' since they are less afraid of public opinion."

"Okay... " Jaune started slowly, scanning the crowd again. "That would explain the masks. But I still don't see how Nora trying to help Pyrrha get over her anxiety lead to this." He gestured towards the crowd for emphasis. "What exactly happened?"

Ren just sighed.

"Nora happened. Pyrrha agreed to try it, probably only because Nora already got her mask - and I must say it was a good piece of artwork, not some cheap crap - and she would have felt sorry for her otherwise. We had a bit fun with it, Nora got maks for herself and me. Then Team RWBY spotted us, and jumped in on the fun." Ren paused for a moment. "Well, Yang and Ruby jumped in. Weiss and Blake were kinda dragged in."

Jaune chuckled. Yeah, he could see that.

"I doubt they will admit it, but they looked to enjoy it too. A few more people saw us, and asked if they could join in. Nora agreed, but only if they wore masks. The next day there were like forty people, all with masks, waiting in the training room we used last time. Someone, probably from the older years, mentioned they now better place for this than a cramped training room. They lead us here, and then…"

Ren shrugged.

"It escalated."

"It escalated?"

"Yeah. Nora organized the next… 'sparring session' last wednesday, after we made sure you were all right. Around eighty people showed up, all with masks. That was when Nora demanded everyone should have cloaks too. The next day, she started giving out strange nicknames to everyone. And it kinda kept escalating from there."

Any further questions from Jaune were cut short, when the sound of drums sounded. This seemed to get the crowd even more excited. Some people started shouting something, but Jaune couldn't make out what.

A few moments passed, and the sound of drums got closer. Jaune could see some flickering lights in the direction that the song was coming from.

 _Are those... torches?_ He thought, confusion growing. It was soon replaced by surprise and shock when a group of at least fifty people marched into the gathering. Some of them carried torches, some played on drums. And in the middle of it, four burly men - all in masks of course - carried a platform with a giant throne on it.

 _What…._

"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" One of figures at the head of the collum shouted.

"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN!" The crowd answered.

 _The…_

The Column moved closer, and Jaune could just barely make out the figure sitting on the throne. Her - because it was definitely a woman - had the most impressive mask of all. It covered her whole head, and was decorated with multiple feathers and even something that looked to be gemstones.

Even if he didn't recognized her by her clothing, the massive warhammer the figure held was hint enough to guess who it was.

"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" The figure shouted again.

"PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" The crowd answered again.

 _THE FUCK?!_

Jaune stared blankly at scene in front of him. He wasn't sure what was more shocking - the crowd wearing masks, the ridiculous words they were chanting, the fact some people were actually throwing pancakes towards the throne, that the person at the head of procession was apparently Weiss, wearing some… interesting outfit, or maybe his own Partner, wearing a golden, ornate mask, and a set of armor that kinda resembles her own, but at the same time was far more ornate, standing next to Nora's throne.

He squinted his eyes, trying to see some more details. There was something wrong with it.

What become clear when procession moved closer to him. Jaune actually whistled, impressed. For two reasons.

First - the throne was made from actual pancakes. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of them used for this purpose.

Second, was that it survived more than a few seconds in such close proximity to Nora.

The procession finally stopped in the center of the arena. Nora raised her hammer, and all chanting stopped.

"Welcome, my loyal subjects, to this glorious Arena. Today, yet again you will have the chance to spill sweet, blood and tears for my amusement. And Pancakes."

The crowd roared its approval. Jaune could only gape in shock.

"Let's not waste anymore time. For the glory of the Pancake Throne!"

The crowd roared even louder.

"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN! PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" They started chanting again, when four men picked up the platform with throne again, and carried it away to a podium towering over arena. Jaune could have swear it wasn't there when he came earlier in the day.

 _What the actual fuck!?_ He screamed in his mind.

* * *

 **Well here it is. Poor Jaune, from poison-induced madness, straight into a Nora-induced one. And there is no escape.**

 **Not much else to talk about. See you all next week.**

 **Oh, right, the omake. For those who wondered how the people Ren mentioned were 'dealt with.'**

* * *

Pyrrha sighed, looking over the abandoned warehouse. Why did it always have to be an abandoned warehouse? Couldn't they ask her to come to some nice restaurant instead?

With another sigh, she walked forward to the rusty doors. They opened easily, and soon enough Pyrrha entered a dimly lit room filled with six teens.

"Holy shit, she really came!" One of them exclaimed. He was so surprised that he spilled a bit of beer from the bottle he was holding, earning annoyed grunts from some of his companions.

"Told you so." Said another one. He was tall, and well built. Black hair was slicked back and reinforced with far more gel than was reasonable. He wore an expensive looking suit, golden necklace, and a few rings.

 _Probably the leader._ he thought, walking closer.

"It so nice you decided to visit us Pyr. I can call you Pyr, right?"

She didn't answer, instead scanning her surroundings. None of the people in the room seemed to be armed. Well, she saw one or two baseball bats, and one of them was playing with a knife, but come on. She was a Huntress - what they held were mere toys in her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked, even thought she had a pretty good idea.

The teen grinned, apparently happy he was in control.

"Nothing much. Just for us to have some fun. Come, sit here," He said, patting box next to him. "We'll drink beer or two, have a nice chat. Maybe dance a bit. I'm pretty good dancer, I'll have you know. And even better at more... horizontal dances, if you catch my meaning."

Pyrrha did, and had to fight to not scowl.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening. Not only do I need to go back to Beacon soon, I'm not old enough to legally drink."

"No one asked you for your opinion, bitch!" Someone snapped. He was young, probably the same age as her. Tall, but very thin, had multiple tattoos and a bald head. He made to march towards Pyrrha, but was stopped by leader of this small pseudo-gang.

Pyrrha decided to dub him Gel-hair.

"Now, now, let's keep this discussion civilized. I'm sure Pyr will make a reasonable choice." He smiled to her,and she had to fight really hard to not punch him in the face.

"Afterall, we wouldn't want for people to learn that great Pyrrha Nikos is a simple cheater." He finished, earning a series of chuckles from his cronies.

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head.

"We both know that's not true. Whatever proof you have to back the claim is fabricated - if you have any proof at all."

Gel-hair chuckled again.

"And we both know it doesn't matter. People love gossip, and sensation. No one will look too far into it, they will eat you alive. All I want in exchange of keeping it secret is a bit of fun time. Not a bad deal, don't you agree?"

Pyrrha looked over the room again, just to make sure there was no one hiding anywhere.

"You know what?" She asked looking straight into eyes of teen in front of her. She gave him her best smile, and just as he smiled back, she finished. "You really are an idiot."

The whole room stilled for a few seconds.

"What did you just call me, bitch?!" Gel-hair roared.

 _So much for civilized discussion._

"You really think this would work? You think I don't have people to deal with such things? If you tried to make any such accusations without solid proof, my advocate would eat _you_ alive. And don't even get me started on my sponsors. Ruining my reputation would hit them too, and they wouldn't like it."

She took a moment to admire the shocked expression of all six boys.

"Seriously, did you thought you was first one to get this idea? Back in Mistral people tried to blackmail me like that all the time." She shook her head.

"But I must say it's first time meeting such idiots. It's the only reason I came - to see if you really would be stupid enough to show up."

"Stop acting all high and…!" Gel-hair started shouting, but stopped when she placed a finger on his lips.

"Shhh. No talking. Just listening. Really, what were you thinking? Are any of you Hunters?" She called out so everyone would hear her. Nervous shuffling was answer enough.

"And yet you called me out here, to this abandoned building, in this abandoned area. And you didn't bring any weapons with you. Did you seriously think, even form a moment, that I just submit to whatever you say, instead of kicking all of your asses?"

They all grouped together, suddenly very aware that they are alone, in an abandoned warehouse, with a world-wide known Huntress champion that they just tried to blackmail.

Pyrrha grinned even further.

"Normally I would leave you with just a warning, but you are out of luck today. You see, I have a lot of pent up stress to release. And.." the door, and most of front wall exploded, revealing a grinning Nora and smirking Ren." My team overheard, and they decided to join in for some fun. So…" Milo and Akouo appeared in her hands. " Let's dance!"

* * *

 **Moral of the story - don't mess with Pyrrha. Especially when she is stressed out.**

 **See you next week folks.**


	25. The Masquerade

**Welcome to Ch 24 of TPA where madness will continue.**

* * *

Jaune felt conflicted. On the one hand, after watching several fights, he had to admit this whole deal wasn't _just_ pure craziness. Nora, or Syrup Queen, wasn't just watching fights - she often gave challenges, like fighting only in melee, or ordered Weiss - aka Ice Angel - to use her ice Dust to change scenery of arena a bit.

There were a few group fights as well. Sometimes it was two vs two, sometimes more. She would mix combatants too, forcing people from different teams, or even different years to work together.

Jaune had to admit, it looked not only fun, but also educational. That's why, when Ren said Ozpin not only knew about all of this, but approved, and supported, Jaune didn't feel _too_ conflicted, though he still refused to acknowledge the tall figure covered in a green cloak with a clockwork theme sewn on it, and a very familiar cane. He wore a white porcelain mask with a painted wide smile and a small, black mustache and beard.

It was one thing to approve, but to take part in this madness?

 _And to think i worked for this guy..._

On the other hand though, this was something Nora not only came up with, but was in charge of. This basically guaranteed that something crazy would happen. If the fact that there were nearly two hundred masked, and cloaked figures apparently fighting 'for the glory of the Pancake Throne' wasn't crazy enough.

Jaune sighed, and focused back on the arena. A group of five students - one third, two second, and two first years were valiantly defending a small ice 'castle' made by Weiss, for the past ten minutes or so. Their opponents were group of ten first years - all from different teams.

The defenders were doing good, considering the difference in numbers, but both first years, and one of the second years were already eliminated. It looked like the defenders would fall with next assault, but Nora got up, raising her hammer high. The combatants stopped, and focused on her.

"I'm pleased." She announced after a few moments of contemplation. "Both sides fought well, and thine bravery brings honour to the Pancake Throne. Those that have fallen, may rise again." The crowd cheered, and both teams left the arena, chatting and laughing..

Nora allowed this for a few moments, then slammed Manghild on the platform she stood at, silencing the crowd.

"You have fought well, my brave warriors. Your Queen is pleased. But verily, the next event is nigh. Initiations!"

The crowd roared their approval, and several people were pushed into the arena - Jaune among them. And by the looks of it - he was the only one who wasn't too thrilled about it.

"Welcome, brave souls, to this, the most glorious of arenas. Tonight, you shall have the chance to prove yourself in front of your Queen! Fight well, fight with honor, and ye shall be rewarded. Disappoint me, and thee shall feel the full force of my wrath. Now, let us commence!"

The crowd roared again, clapping, stomping, and whistling.

"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" Someone shouted.

"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" Someone else responded.

The crowd soon picked it up. Nora silenced them after a few moments and spoke.

"Normally, I would have one of my Champions test the mettle of these newcomers, but lo, this time is a bit different. One of the warriors not of our arena wishes to make a request."

She slammed half of her hammer on the wooden platform, sweeping one hand in front of her.

"Let's hear his plea!"

The crowd roared their approval. Nora smiled, watching three masked teens made their way to her. They stopped about two meters before her, and dropped to one knee.

"My Queen! I humbly request you allow me to test one of the Initiates myself!" Said the biggest of them, obviously the leader.

Nora nodded to herself, watching the people kneeling before her with vague interest.

"A bold request. Why would ye think ye can perform this holy task better than one of my Champions? Or maybe ye think yourself worthy of joining their ranks?"

Jaune could only facepalm.

 _Nora, just quit the act already._

"No My Queen! I ask for this honor just this one time, for there is one among those initiates I believe is not worth standing in your presence! Of course, I understand how big of a request this is. That's why I prepared some offerings!"

At that, two of the teens behind him walked forward, and placed two sizable boxes in front of Nora. Jaune couldn't see their contents, but could hazard a guess.

"I see…"

Nora contemplated something for a few moments, then nodded.

"Very well." She rose from her throne and spread her arms wide."Iron Hunter! Youe plea has been heard. Its boldness amuses me, and thine offerings please me. Your wish will be granted!" The crowd roared, in appreciation of their merciful Queen.

Jaune groaned.

 _This can't be happening. This is not happening. I feel like I end up in some cult._

"Thou may select one, and only one, from the initiates. However, ye have no right of Judgment. Such is reserved for my person, or one of my Champions." She sat back on her throne and slammed the haft on Manghild on the platform.

"Now go! Please your Queen!"

Jaune glared at his teammate - even though he was sure she couldn't see him.

 _This is going to be such a pain in the ass…_

His eyes narrowed when this so-called Iron Hunter came closer. The guy looked familiar - the way he moved, his armor, and the hair he could see peeking from under the metal mask modeled after some comic superhero.

 _Wait, is it Cardin?_

The teen stopped right in front of Jaune, and poked him in the chest.

"You." He snarled. "We will fight. And by 'we will fight,' I mean 'I'll kick your ass so hard you will fly out out Beacon, right into your mom's arms'. So prepare yourself, because Iron Hunter is going to bring some Iron Justice onto you!" He finished with a roar, brandishing his mace.

Jaune grinned.

 _Ok, I take it back._ He thought, drawing his sword and deploying his shield. _This is going to be so much fun._

He took a deep breath, and let it go slowly. Cardin rolled his shoulders and made two lazy swings with his mace.

 _Ok, think. What do I know about him? Besides the fact he is an asshole._

"I have been waiting for this moment Jaune-boy." Cardin said. Jaune couldn't see his face, but he was willing to bet money that the other teen was smirking.

 _He is strong, but from what I've seen, not very fast. Very aggressive, will sometimes take a hit just so he can get clean one of his own._

"For a moment there, I thought you wouldn't come. That you would run away like the little coward that you are."

 _He is proud. If angered he will rush in blindly. Solid Aura reserves, but not very mobile, so in this regard we are similar._

"But here you are, and that makes me happy." He bent his knees, grabbed his mace in both hands, and lifted it over one shoulder. "Because I finally get the chance to crush you!" He roared, and charged at blond hunter.

Jaune sidestepped, letting the larger teen run past him, watching his opponent form over the rim of his shield.

"What's wrong, Jaune boy? Scared? Too bad, it's already too late to run."

 _That was slow… I think he is even slower than me. But that mace of his does pack a punch, better not take his attacks head on._

Cardin tried another charge, but Jaune sidestepped it as well. With a huff of annoyance, Cardin walked up to his opponent, delivering a powerful overhead blow. Jaune sidestepped it too, eyes narrowed.

 _That was too telegraphed to be a regular attack. Is he trying to bait me?_

Cardin roared, and threw a wide, horizontal swing. Jaune jumped back, swatted another overhead blow with his shield and sidestepped a tackle.

 _Ok, these baits are a bit too obvious. Does he really think I'll fall for it?_

"Come on Jaune. At least try to hit me. Here, I'll make it easier for you." He taunted, spreading his arm wide and walking slowly towards his opponent.

 _Is this guy for real?_ Jaune tensed, considering his options. Cardin was baiting him - it was obvious. All the strikes up until now were so telegraphed, he could see them coming from a mile away. Not only that, but Cardin always left himself wide open. And now this?

Jaune sighed.

He would have to be an idiot to fall for it. Because there was no way that his opponent really was that slow.

Right?

 _Well, only one way to find out._

Cardin, apparently annoyed by the lack of reaction from his opponent, charged in with another wide swing. Jaune jumped back, and lashed out with his sword, scoring a hit on Cardin's wrist.

The mace wielder snarled, and reversed his swing. Jaune stepped in, taking the mace haft on his shield, stabbing under his opponent's armor and jumped back. Cardin roared, enraged, and followed after him. The blond boy feinted an overhead strike, and instead slashed at his opponent knee, slamming his shield into his arm at the same time.

 _Ok, so he really is that slow._ The blond thought, jumping back.

Cardin glared at his opponent, no longer so eager to attack.

"Finally decide to put up a fight? I must admit, I almost felt those love taps."

Jaune shifted his stance slightly. _Oh, you gonna feel what will come next._

"But if you think it will be eno…" was all Cardin managed to say, before he had to parry Crocea Mors blade sailing towards his face. He managed to raise his mace in time to catch the blade on the metal shaft, but couldn't do anything against the shield that slammed into his face. He cursed, and tried to counterattack, but a shield to the face, followed by a quick stab to stomach forced him to defend.

"What's wrong… Iron Hunter was it? Don't tell me you are just all talk." Jaune taunted.

Cardin roared and charged, mace held high intending to crush his opponent. Jaune sidestepped again, slamming his shield into his opponent's side when he passed by. Cardin stumbled, and clumsy parried the next strike. Well, tried to at least. He realized the sword sailing towards his head was just another feint only when Jaune's foot caught him in the stomach, throwing him back.

Cardin somehow managed to stay on his feet - but not for long. Another shield bash to the face sent him to the ground. He tried to get up, but a foot on his chest, and a sword at his throat stopped him.

"The way I see it, this can end in two ways." Jaune said, with a small, friendly smile. "Either you give up, or I can keep beating you up until your Aura runs out. I don't mind either way, so make your call."

Cardin glared at his opponent. For a moment Jaune though he would try to attack him, but eventually the downed teen let go of his mace and slumped.

Jaune smiled and took his foot off his chest. He didn't lower his guard though - Cardin looked like the kind of guy who would attack you from behind the moment you looked away.

"Well, well, well. Such a shameful display, wouldn't you say so, Iron Hunter?" Nora's voice boomed.

"My Queen, that's.."

"Silence. Make not excuses, it will just make ye look more pathetic." She hummed, then slammed the haft of Magnhild down. "Thou seem to be a bit rusty. Is it from lack of proper fights? Or just laziness? Either way, I don't think 'Iron Hunter' is a name befitting you." She hummed then smiled. " From now on, until thou prove thyself worthy, thy name shall be Rusty. Now, leave this sacred Arena, and let one of my champions perform a proper Initiation."

Cardin looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually just shot glare at Jaune and left.

 _That felt… oddly satisfying._ He rolled his shoulders and looked up at the platform with Nora's throne. _Now the question is, who I will be fighting next?"_

He didn't have to wonder for long. A familiar figure started walking down towards the arena, weapon in hand. The crowd started cheering, and Jaune grinned. His next opponent would prove much more challenging than Cardin.

"You ready? I won't go easy on you, so if you want to back off, now's your chance." She asked.

"Why would I? I'm warmed up, and it would be rude to make a lady wait like that." He answered, getting into his stance.

Weiss smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Then brace yourself."

* * *

She walked slowly, watching the blond boy carefully. He mirrored her actions, and fell into a familiar stance. Left foot forwards, shield held at an angle, both to better deflect incoming attacks, and hide his sword arm from view.

She glanced over arena, even though she'd seen it numerous times. But this time she focused, noting every detail she could.

It was small, much smaller than what Hunters usually fought at. She winced a little. That meant she had less space to retreat. But on the other hand - it would be easier to control the whole battlefield.

"You ready? I…" she called out, even though she knew answer. Of course he was ready, that… _fight_ against Cardin was nothing more than a warm up for him. He could go at it for hours - she knew from personal experience. As their small talk continued, she began to formulate a plan.

 _I need to keep my distance, he will win if he can corner me. The arena is small, I won't have much space to dodge… but neither will he. I can use my ice Dust to create a wall to stop his charge, then retreat, and bombard him from a distance. When he puts his shield up to defend, I can circle behind him, strike, and retreat._

* * *

… _is probably what she is planning._ Thought Jaune, observing the heiress. _She can easily take control of this small arena if I give her the opportunity. I need to put pressure on her from the start. She doesn't have much space behind her, so, using the wall as cover, she will dodge to the side. If I can predict which direction she will go, I can intercept her, that would make it much easier. If instead of charging straight ahead, I go…._

* * *

… _from the side, he would at least know where I went, even if he goes to the opposite side. And he would be able use the wall as cover. I could try to freeze him when he comes out, but then it will be me who will have to make the right guess. Should I try a preemptive attack? He isn't that fast, I should be able to pull something off before..._

* * *

… _I reach her._ Jaune glanced to Nora, who raised her hammer high. _Ok, time's up. Attack, or dodge? Left or right?_ He tensed, eyes narrowing. He knew this instant at the beginning of the battle, this would be the only time when he would have the initiative. As soon as the first move was made, he had to catch heiress. Otherwise she would be able to easily dictate the tempo of fight.

And even though he knew that if all else failed, he could just turtle up and try to outlast her - that wasn't best tactic.

He frowned when he noticed the heiress dropping to one knee, settling in a position oddly similar to a sprinter's starting stance. Would she try to rush him? That would be strange - they both knew he was better at close quarters. Then again, she might opt for continuous charges using her glyphs to speed herself up. Not a bad idea, but extremely risky. One miscalculation, and she would get his shield to the face, and that would end the fight.

Then again, she might be just messing with him. Taking a strange stance to make him wary, make his distracted, start overthinking things. Wouldn't be the first time.

Nora's hammer hit the platform.

Jaune jumped to the left, rolled and got up. No attack came his way, instead, a nearly four meter high wall of ice erupted between him and Weiss.

 _Damn._

He charged ahead, trying to figure what would be the heiress' next move.

 _She will dash out, and start barraging me with attacks from range. But which way will she go? Left, or right?_

He ran left. Seeing no sign of his opponent, he raised his shield just as he rounded the corner, ready to take…

Nothing.

Surprised, he looked over his shield. The first thing he noticed was the distinctive lack of Weiss in front of him. The second was a Dust blast that hit him in the face.

 _So it was up. Clever._

He clenched his teeth and raised his shield, wincing as another blast hit the metal surface. He considered his options for a few moments, then decided to fall back. Weiss took the initiative, and there was little he could do to change that, beside waiting for her to tire out.

* * *

Weiss sent one more blast at the retreating blond, and then he hid around the corner of the ice wall she made. Making such a big wall costed her a lot of Dust, and using glyphs as footholds for a long time was exhausting, but it was better than trying to go face-to-face with Jaune.

She sighed and made a few more glyphs, jumping around the wall, and trying to get a better angle to continue her bombardment. She had never tried this tactic against him, simply because back then she couldn't control her glyphs well enough.

She smirked.

 _You might beat me in a straight fight. But you didn't think I didn't learn any new tricks, did you?_

She smirked and began to form another glyph. Oh, she had a lot of new tricks to show to her old friend.

* * *

Jaune clenched his teeth as another barrage fell on him. He tried to dodge out of way, but a black glyph that formed under his feet stopped him from moving.

 _Ok, so she has a few new trick. That was expected, nothing to worry about. I can still work with it._

Suddenly his body become weightless, and he shot up, stopping roughly at the same height as the heiress. Five more glyphs formed around his legs, waist, and arms, locking them in place. Dozens more appeared all around him, forming a dome.

 _Oh shit…_

He had barely a split second to activate his Semblance and harden his Aura before Weiss charged at him. She dashed from glyph to glyph, striking him at incredible speeds each time she passed. With his hands locked in place, all he could do was to clench his teeth and try to endure. He could feel his Aura drop like crazy, but Weiss couldn't keep this up for long.

Right?

Thankfully, this fierce assault lasted only a few seconds, glyphs all around him disappearing one by one, until only one remained. Weiss landed upon it gracefully, and considered him for a second.

Then a black glyph formed over his head.

 _Oh shit._

Even though her face was obscured by mask, he knew she was smirking.

The floor of the arena they were fighting on was solid stone, but Weiss still managed to bury him halfway into it.

 _Ok, that hurt._ He pushed himself up, and glared at his opponent. This was starting to look really bad.

* * *

 _This is… no good._

Her attacks were effective, she knew it. But she wasn't sure she could keep it up. Already she was feeling it, her breath not yet labored, but close to it.

 _Should I go down, or stay above? I could try to make some ice pillars, and use those as footholds._

The idea was good, too bad she couldn't make it into a reality. Making ice structures solid enough for her to stand atop required concentration. Only a moment - but she knew it was all her opponent needed.

She preferred to not catch his shield to face, thank you very much.

With a sigh, she focused and send another barrage at downed blond. He rolled, got up, and started frantically dodging her attacks. It didn't go too well for him - the arena was small, and with no obstacles to hide behind, he was sitting duck.

She huffed, ignoring the beads of sweat running down her face. Was this a good, or bad tactic? She had no idea. Without Aura displays she had no way of knowing how much damage she was doing to her opponent. All she could do was to keep attacking, and hope her stamina lasted longer than his Aura.

And not think about how many times she had won endurance matches against him. There had to be a first time for everything, right?

* * *

 _This is bad._ Thought Jaune. He honestly didn't expect such a fierce assault from the heiress. She usually preferred to control her opponent, usually by freezing either the area around them, or the person themself.

Well, at least that was how she fought back in the day. In hindsight, it might have been a bit too naive to not assume she had adjusted her fighting style.

Another barrage hit him, and Jaune grit his teeth. For now he was pinned, unable to do anything. But Weiss was slowing down. Not only was there were less blast in each burst, they were getting weaker, and there was more time between each. He was getting used to her rhythm,

Of course this could be trap. She could be baiting him to lower his guard, so she can get some stronger attack in.

But then launching him in the air like she did earlier would be more effective. Judging by the fact she didn't do anything like that, instead opting to just hop from glyph to glyph, and rain attacks down on him, told him that it was too exhausting an attack to use repeatedly.

So now all he had to do was to wait, let her tire out, read her rhythm. And then…

Jaune smirked.

Well, Weiss wasn't only one who had some new tricks.

* * *

 _Just go down already!_

She glared at the crouching boy. Did he get even tougher since the last time they fought? This was honestly cheating. And the bastard was using the armor that _she_ got him! The nerve of some people…

With a huff of annoyance she sent a few weak attacks, just to distract him, and made another glyph. She was starting to slow down, she knew it. She could try to use a gravity glyph again, but those were very taxing. And without knowing how much damage she really did to him, it was better to focus on a steady stream of attacks, instead of try to break him down. She knew she didn't pack enough punch to do that - it was more of Yang's thing.

 _Did I just made a pun?_

She shook her head. She definitely was spending too much time with the blond brawler. Not only she was corrupting her mind with her poor jokes - now she was distracting her in the middle of battle. Unforgivable!

She shook her head and focused back on her opponent. She was getting tired, and fast. Should she go back to the ground? It would let her catch her breath for a moment, but would put her at more risk. Up here Jaune couldn't reach her - as long as she kept an eye on his shield she was safe.

She threw another barrage of attacks, and hooped on another glyph. She landed, faced her opponent, and cursed when a piece of rock flew by her face.

 _Is he throwing rocks at me?!_

Another, bigger piece of stone that hit her in the leg confirmed that yes, Jaune decided to go on the offensive by using pieces of broken arena. And there was quite a few of them lying around.

 _That little…_

She ducked under another projectile, and answered with barrage of her own. If this blond dunce thought he could beat her with something like that….

She ignored the next pebble flying towards her, instead focused on sending another barrage at the now exposed blond.

The explosion wasn't big, but it was loud and flashy enough to break her concentration. The glyph she was standing on shattered, and she fell to the ground.

 _Flashbangs!? When did he…_

She cursed and focused. She would ask these questions later - preferably with tip of her rapier at his throat - but for now, she had more pressing concerns.

The glyph was hastily made, and unstable, but was enough to slow down her descent. She hit the ground hard, but not hard enough to knock air out of her, and instantly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade that slammed into where she was just a moment before.

She managed to push herself up, deflected an overhead strike, and stumbled back when his shield caught her in the face. She cursed, and shot a blast of ice Dust, hoping to distract her attacker for just split a second. She threw herself back, aided by a half formed glyph, creating some much needed distance.

Jaune didn't intend to let her off so easily, rushing right after her. She formed another glyph, too late noticing something - or rather the lack of something in front of her.

Her back hit the ice wall she created at the beginning of the battle. She cursed and threw herself to the side, dodging his sword, but leaving herself open for the kick that sent her to the ground. She rolled, but Jaune was already upon her.

She kicked him in the knee - and by some miracle she actually managed to stagger him.

 _Guess I did more damage than I thought._

She kicked again, and got up with a back flip. Jaune charged in, not letting her get away.

 _This is bad…_

She was losing, and losing hard. She had to do something to create distance, to get some breathing room. But locked in melee like that, there was little she could do. Her gaze slipped to the ice walk behind Jaune, and idea formed in her mind.

It was risky, crazy, borderline suicidal… but it was her only chance.

She ducked under a horizontal slash, and rolled behind him, throwing a stab at his knee. He bucked a little, but not enough to fall over. She got up and turned, her rapier held defensively in front of her.

As expected, Jaune charged, shield first. He didn't tried to knock her down, instead he continued his charge, carrying them both towards ice wall.

Weiss focused what was left of her Aura. A moment later, her back hit ice.

She clenched her teeth and focused. This was all or nothing. She used her rapier to defend herself as best as she could, her other hand placed against the ice wall. She needed to focus, it was her only chance…. Now!

The wall exploded, showering them both in sharp ice shards. Jaune, who was pushing at her, didn't expect to lose support so suddenly, stumbled, and fell.

Weiss used this momentary distraction to roll to the side and jump to her feet. She took a deep breath and faced her opponent in a classic fencer stance - left foot forward, sword arm slightly bent, other held behind her back.

Jaune scanned her over, no doubt wondering what kind of tricks she planned this time. Not seeing anything, he rolled his shoulders, took his own stance, and started slowly advancing towards her.

For a moment she was tempted to try and back off, but discarded the idea. If she moved, he would rush her, and she wouldn't get another chance to break free. This was her only chance.

 _Now keep calm. You have only one shot at this. He knows you are planning something, but doesn't know what. I can't do anything to tip him off._

So she just stood there, weapon at the ready, and eyes focused on his. Jaune on the other hand was advancing slowly, eyes constantly scanning his surrounding, looking for any traps. He was close now, very close. He could rush her at any moment.

 _Keep calm. Just a bit closer…_

Jaune made another careful step.

Weiss eyes flicked down, towards his feet.

He reacted in an instant, throwing himself to the side. Too late he realized that there were no attack coming, that this is just a feint. He cursed, got on one knee, and cursed again when he realized Weiss was already upon him.

His parry was clumsy, and far overextended, but it did throw her rapier to the side, and left her open. She twisted, sidestepping his counter - and then threw the small piece of ice she held in her other hand at him. His eyes widened, and then he cursed for a third time when a small glyph formed on the sparkling surface.

It exploded a second later, showering his face with tiny bits of ice. It wasn't enough to do any damage, but it did blind him for a moment - enough for Weiss to tackle him to the ground.

Jaune stared at the tip of her rapier resting at his neck.

Then he grinned, his muscles relaxing.

"Good fight." He said.

She smiled at him. He couldn't see it, but she was sure he knew anyway.

"Indeed, it was." She answered, getting up and offering him a hand.

He chuckled, accepting it.

"I must say I'm surprised. Never expected you would be so desperate to get on top of me."

She scoffed.

"Like you are one to talk. You were so eager to stab me with your sword after you pinned me to the wall, you stopped paying attention to anything."

"Now, now, don't be like that." He rolled his shoulders and waved to cheering crowd. "By the way, what was up with you staying up in the air whole time? I thought you wanted to have some fun?"

He said, punching her shoulder.

She huffed and punched pack.

"I did had fun. Showing you your place. Which is far below me, in case you've forgotten." She huffed again, crossing her arms, and raising her head.

"Plebeians like you have to be taught respect from time to time, lest you forget your place and stop showing respect to your betters." She added in an arrogant tone.

Jaune laughed. He made to answer, but the now familiar sound of metal hitting wooden platform caused them both to look up.

"Splendid! Your Queen is pleased. Champion, bring this Initiate before my personage!" Nora commanded.

Weiss sighed, and shrugged, walking towards the 'Queen', Jaune following close behind.

They stopped a few steps before her, Weiss coughing and pointing one hand at an amused Jaune.

"My Queen! You saw his fight, you saw his prowess, you saw his bravery. I deem this one worthy of joining the Ring of Masks!"

Nora nodded a few times, then rose from her seat.

"I hath seen, and I approve!" She called out, earning cheers from the gathered crowd. She then focused on Jaune.

"Ye hath proven yourself worthy Initiate. I might even make ye one of my champions. But first - what name shall thee be called by? Choose wisely, and know that if I decided it underwhelming, I might pick one myself."

Jaune hummed. This whole masquerade - pun not intended -was going a bit further than he liked. But then again - what was the harm in playing along?

 _So, a name, huh?_

He considered his options. It probably should be something personal, something that described him in some way. He spent a few moments lost in thought, trying to figure something out. He was idly aware of how quiet the whole place become.

 _They really make a big fuss out of this, huh?_

Well, all the more reason to take it seriously. But what could be… And then he recalled something, a memory from over two years ago, that brought smile to his face.

But should he? It was a bit silly…

 _Ah, to hell with that. Worst thing that will happen is she will reject it and pick something for me._

He took a deep breath and looked Nora in the eyes.

"Yellow Wolf."

There were a few moments of tense silence, while Nora considered his answer. Then she nodded.

"Very Well! I welcome you to our glorious Ring, Yellow Wolf!" The crowd exploded in cheers. Someone started chanting his new name, and soon nearly two hundred voices were shouting 'yellow wolf'.

Nora allowed it for a moment, then slammed her hammer down.

"Now, onto the next Initiation. Which one of my champions will take upon this holy task?"

One person raised up, her blond hair waving as she started walking towards the arena.

Jaune looked at her opponent, and bowed slightly.

 _My condolences._

He followed Weiss, sitting next to her at the wooden platform.

The next fight began shortly after.

* * *

 **Here we go - Jaune's debiut in Ring of Masks. Not as crazy as it could be, right?**

 **Anyway, I learned something interesting when I was working on the previous chapter, and it kind got confirmed in this one - writing Jaune and Weiss interacting with each other comes** _ **way**_ **too easily for me. No idea why, or how, but it's just… happening.**

 **No omake this time. See you guys next week.**


	26. The Right Mix

**Welcome to ch 25 of TPA.**

* * *

"Oi, Fearless Leader, are you ok?"

Jaune coughed, and tried to get up, but fell back to his knees when his vision swam. He just nodded, not trusting himself to not vomit if he opened his mouth.

"Because you don't look fine. Likeek not at all." He looked up at his team, noticing their concerned expression. He sent them a reassuring smile - or at least he hoped it was a smile.

"I'm.. fine." He managed to choke out.

"Really? Maybe we should get you to the infirmary? Afterall…"

He raised hand to silence his partner. A few moments, and a few deep breaths later, he managed to get up to his feet.

"I'm ok." He repeated. "Trust me, it looks much worse than it really is."

"Well…" Nora looked him over. " You just drank that strange mix, and then nearly passed out. And considering what you added to it…" she shrugged, "I mean, they call me crazy, but I wouldn't drink that stuff. Like, ever."

He took another deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"So, did it work?" Asked Ren, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Jaune couldn't blame him. After all, this was the first Elixir they made together.

"Can't tell yet. I need more time to get used to it. We changed the recipe quite a bit after all."

"So… How does this even work? You said your Semblance is some form of Aura enhancement, right? Then how are you doing… this?" Nora made a vague motion in his direction.

Jaune hummed, considering his answer.

"I guess the best way to put it is that my Semblance is boosting the effects of Aura. So, it's not like it gives me some new abilities, like Pyrrha's polarity, it just allows me to crank up normal Aura stuff to eleven. It requires concentration, and increases consumption, but I can - for example; speed up healing far beyond Aura's passive regeneration, or harden it, making it far better for blocking attacks."

"Like that time when you sparred with Yang? When she used her Semblance?" Asked Pyrrha. Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, just like that. But I can't keep it up for long. And if I put too much Aura into a 'wall,' like that, it gets expelled when struck. That what that white flash you saw was. Useful for blinding an opponent, but too taxing on my Aura."

"Ok, I got that. But if it's Aura strengthening, then how does it help you with your Elixirs? You said those things can melt people's brains and turn them into zombies!"

"To be honest, it's hard to explain. I kinda use my Semblance to pick apart the Elixir to a more basic level, then apply my Aura to it to see which parts do what, and then I figure out the sequence that will give me the desired effect… Does that make sense?"

The blank stares of his teammates said that no, it didn't make much sense at all. Jaune groaned and looked around the small classroom he and Ren took over for their little laboratory, looking for some inspiration. Unfortunately, neither the walls, the old desks, or even the roof wanted to give him any answers.

Assholes.

"Ok, how about this…" he trailed off, an idea finally forming in his mind. "Think about it as… a song." He said slowly

"A song?" Nora asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, a song." Jaune nodded, confidence building."An Elixir - or any kind of substance, be it food, medicine, or poison - is like a song. Something simple, like distilled water, would have only a few notes, while something more complicated could have tens, or hundreds of them. When I activate my Semblance and start changing the effects of whatever mixture I just took, I make certain notes play either louder, or quieter. Or maybe slower, or faster? Nevermind. Anyway, that way I can check what effects certain sequences have, and then boost only those that give me positive effects. Additional benefit is that when I learn some sequence, I can identify it in other substances. So for example, If I drink a beer, and figure out which part of it's 'song' is alcohol, I will be able to detect alcohol in anything I eat or drink. And if I memorize some sequences as harmful, my Aura will start blocking them without me having to think about it."

He nodded to himself, and smiled.

"When I test a new Elixir, there's this moment when I basically make lots of noise, playing this song randomly, until I start to figure what certain sequences do. It's easier if it has at least a few familiar parts, but the more components there are, the harder it is to control it."

He paused, considered something for a moment, then nodded.

"So, does that make sense?"

"Well…" Pyrrha trailed off. "I think i get it. So the reason you get headache, or nausea, is because you play the new song so poorly?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. Essentially."

"Ok, I get that." Said Nora, one finger tapping her cheek." But why can't other people can't use them? From what you said, anyone with good Aura control should be able to manage it."

Jaune shrugged.

"I'm not certain, but I think that my Semblance allows me more control on what part of them will be affected, how, and how strong. For example, this," he picked up the bottle with heart enhancer. " It has two opposite effects. For a normal person, it would either boost, or lower their heart rate, depending on which substance said person is more vulnerable to. It might even have no effect at all, or cause arrhythmia. Similar for Hunters, but in that case, Aura will affect it too. It might either dismiss the effect, or enhance it, but I never met anyone who could control it as well as I do. Well, not many people were willing to try, to be honest." He looked over his team and smiled. "But if you want to volunteer…"

"No." Ren said shaking his head.

"Nope." Nora exclaimed happily.

"I-I think I'll pass. I'm pretty sure it's against some of my contracts." Pyrrha smiled at him.

"Come one guys - for science!" Three blank stares were his only answer. Jaune huffed and crossed his arms.

"Ok, suit yourselves but when I finally perfect my recipes, and become filthy rich, you will regret not being part of it."

"Isn't Ren already helping you out?" Nora pointed out. Then hummed, tilting her head to the side. "Wait, _what_ exactly he is helping you with? You spent all afternoon working on this thing.

Jaune meet Ren's eyes, and they both nodded. With smile blond boy pointed at now empty bottle.

"Ladies, I present to you, Perception Enhancer, mark two. Product of the joint efforts of myself, and my brilliant assistant Lie Ren."

"Ooooh! You made it even stronger? How strong it is now? Can you…."

"No." Jaune said calmly, stopping Nora's babbling.

"No… what?" She asked, blinking in surprise.

"It's not stronger. Quite the opposite in fact - it's much weaker."

"But.. why?"

"Well, it's simple. The original recipe was just too strong. Using my earlier analogy - the song had a very complicated melody. This meant it cost me a lot of focus and Aura to keep it right. So, I always needed a few moments to make sure I got the melody right. And even after that, I had to focus to keep it that way. And even though it gave me a potential to boost to my senses several times over - I would never need so strong a boost in any situation I could realistically encounter. And if I messed something up, and, for example, boosted my hearing, or sight by twenty times in the middle of the fight - it could easily cripple me."

Jaune smiled and took one of the many bottles standing on table next to him.

"I tried to fix this for a while. I had some successes, but nothing worth using. Either the effects were too weak, or the side effects too strong.. " he smiled, tossing the glass container in the air. "But now, with Ren's help? I think we might just make it work."

"So… what are you gonna call it?" Nora asked suddenly, walking to him, and picking up the bottle he drank from.

"Because 'Perception Enhancer mark two' is a bit too long, don't you think?"

Jaune hummed. She did have a point.

"To be honest, I haven't thought about it. I'm open for suggestions."

"How about 'Owl'?"

"Well… Why not? Considering I'm using it mostly for better hearing, and night vision, it's quite fitting."

Nora beemed.

"Great! Then I demand half the profit from when you start selling this stuff."

"Oh? What shady business are you nerds are getting into? And why I wasn't invited?"

They all turned to source of the new voice. Yang strode in with the rest of team RWBY following close behind.

"Nothing much. Just plotting how we will take control of the world."

"What, you wanna develop some mixture that lets you mind-control people?" Asked Ruby, pointing at the laboratory glassware standing atop one of the desks.

Jaune chuckled.

"Nah, mind control is overrated. Not very reliable at the end of the day. We will make people want to give up they freedom, so they can enjoy living under our benevolent rule. If you guys will be nice and obedient, we will find you some nice spots in our government. What do you say? Wanna be out lackeys?"

"Nah, I'll pass. To get to world domination, Ice Queen here would first have to let you off of your leash. Or at least ease up on it a bit." Yang smirked at him, ignoring the eye roll from Weiss.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But when we're splitting Remnant among ourselves, you'll remember that you could be one of us."

Weiss snorted.

"Sure. Anyway, why did you called us out here? I hope it wasn't just to share your delusions?"

"Yeah, I would like to know myself. You said you have something important to discuss with us, but were quite secretive." Pyrrha smiled at her partner. "Will you tell us now?"

"Yeah." Jaune smiled and looked over his friends. How should he breach the topic? The more he thought about the idea, the more he liked it. But thing was, it wouldn't work if he couldn't get his friends on board. He'd laid some groundwork with his team after his debut in Nora's little tournament, and spent most of Sunday making preparations and plans. He considered taking a bit more time, but after discussing it with Peter, he decided to not delay any longer.

"So the thing is… I got call from the Company yesterday…" Curious glances turned into suspicious ones. Well, at least they weren't tackling him to the ground.

"And they said there is this one job… Ruby, what are you doing?" The red reaper chuckled nervously.

"Ummm.. Nothing?"

"Then why did you just use your Semblance to dash for the door?"

Another nervous chuckle.

"I didn't! You must have imagined it!"

Jaune looked at trail of rose petals, and raised a single eyebrow. Ruby started whistling some melody, not meeting his eyes.

"Well, nevermind, you can do what you want. So, like I was saying, I got a call from the Company, and they said there is this big job coming up…. Guys, am I talking too quietly?"

"No… why?" Asked Nora.

"Because you all are standing very close now. It's honestly a bit uncomfortable…"

"You must be imagining things." Said Weiss, nodding.

"Well, I don't think…"

"You are imagining things." She repeated.

"But…"

"You. Are. Imagining. Things."

Jaune chuckled nervously, looking over his friends for help. Judging by they started, and how thick a circle they formed around him, he wouldn't be getting any anytime soon.

"Yeah, right. Must be those Elixirs I drank earlier."

"For sure." Weiss nodded, and smiled at him. " Now, what was this about a job? I presume you refused, and feel bad about it now, right?"

Jaune chuckled again. Somehow, this wasn't going as he planned it.

"Hehe.. Actually.. I kinda accepted it?"

He could swear temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha began but he stopped her.

"It's nothing too dangerous, or secret, or anything like that."

"Jaune…" Ruby whined.

"It's really not that big a deal. Yeah, they called it 'big', but it's only because they are hiring a lot of people! It's a pretty standard operation, really…"

"Jaune…" Weiss growled at him.

Jaune swallowed. Maybe it would be better if instead of excuses he got straight to the point? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"So I thought that maybe you guys would like to tag along?" He finished quickly.

There were a few moments of stunned silence.

"Tag… along?" Yang asked, as if uncertain if she heard him right.

"Well.. yeah." He answered, looking warily at his fellow blond. She paused, hummed, then threw the rope she was holding away.

 _Wait, where did she get that? And why she was carrying rope with her!?_

"Well, you have my curiosity Ladykiller. Please, tell me more. What is this job, and what is in it for us?"

"So, they recently managed to clear one mining colony a bit east of Vale. Apparently, there is still a lot of Dust and some minerals there, so they want to go back to digging. But, they found out that there is a bunch of Harrowed in the old tunnels, so the Company is forming a team to clean it up. And I thought, that I might get you guys in on it."

"Ok… But why?"

Jaune sighed, and rubbed back of his head.

"Well.. I mean, none of you ever seen a Harrowed up close, right?" He waited for them to confirm and sighed.

"So I thought, it would be good if you get some experience in a more… controlled situation. It's not that I doubt your skill! It's just that.. " he sighed, shaking his head.. " when I was traveling with Leon, I saw many instances where people got wounded by Harrowed, simply because they let their guard down. I don't want it to happen to my friends, so I thought I would arrange a situation where you can learn more about them. And.. yeah.." he finished with a nervous laugh.

"So… you want to teach us?" Asked Weiss.

"Well, if you want to? I mean, if you are serious about being a Hunter, you will encounter Harrowed sooner or later. So it would be good for you to know how to deal with them. I'm not saying you need to become Witchers, but just knowing the basics could help you in the future."

"Well…" Weiss began, yelping when Ruby shoved her aside.

"Wait, you're gonna teach us your secret knowledge? And how to make black swords?"

"Well.. if you want? Sure."

Ruby cheered.

"Yes! Team RWBY, we are becoming Witchers! It's gonna be so cool!"

"Now, wait just a minute." Weiss called out.

"I admit it's interesting idea, and acquiring more knowledge is always a good thing, but I would like to remind you, we are students. And this comes with some responsibilities. We should consider carefully if we can afford to divide our attention like that. And even if we start this Witcher course, I don't think we will be allowed to simply go and take 'jobs' as we please. There are regulations and rules we need to obey."

"But Weiss…" Ruby whined, tugging her sleeve. "Jaune went out of his way to help us out. How can you just refuse like that?"

The heiress looked at her team leader, but quickly averted her gaze.

"I-I'm not saying we can't do it. I'm just saying that if we are going to do it, we should do it properly."

Jaune chuckled. Ruby's puppy eyes must have been really strong, to melt Weiss icy exterior like that.

"I think it's a great idea. Maybe not this job thing, but learning more about Harrowed? I would love that." Pyrrha nodded.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like most of his friends were on board with the idea. Ruby and Nora were the most excited, Yang looked intrigued, Pyrrha and Ren interested.

He couldn't read Blake well, her face didn't give him anything, but she didn't argue, so there was that. The only problem was Weiss. But if he could convince her it wouldn't reflect poorly on her grades…

He smirked. Fortunately, he came prepared.

"Well yeah, I agree. We are students, so it wouldn't do to get expelled because we got too occupied with other things. But I'm sure our teachers will look at this positively. I mean - this will basically be us going over stuff that isn't covered in the basic program. We will show initiative, and so on. It's bound to earn us some bonus points."

"As long as it don't interfere with our regular lessons." The Heiress said, chin cupped in one hand. "Yeah, I can see merit to it. But, I believe we will have lessons about Harrowed in our third year…"

 _Ok, so she is in argument mode._ Jaune sighed. This meant he needed to crush any arguments Weiss had - preferably before she voiced them. He knew full well that this was one battle where he had no chance to outlast his old friend.

"True, but what's wrong with covering a more advanced program early? I can't imagine teachers getting angry about it. "

Weiss eyes narrowed, a small smirk spreading on her lips. She recognized the challenge, and was all too happy to accept it. Usually he would look for a way to back off. But now? He had a plan.

"Oh, really? Well, I do agree that covering more advanced material is a good thing.. If one can understand it. What makes you think you are qualified to teach us?"

He smirked. He'd hoped for this question.

"Well.. I mean, it was Miss Goodwitch who suggested it."

Weiss' eyes widened.

 _Bingo. Got her on back foot. Now just to press the advantage._

"Yeah, I mean, think about it. I spent four years in the Wilds. Two training as a Witcher. I don't want to brag, but when it comes to Harrowed, I know far more than what is written in a textbook."

Weiss hummed, considering his words.

 _Good, almost there. Just one last push._

"Now, That is a grand idea if I ever heard one!" A jovial voice boomed.

Everyone turned around, to see Profesor Port marching into the classroom, a wide smile on his lips.

"It pleases my old heart to see my students helping each other grow. Why, it reminds of my youth, when…" cold terror filled classroom, where seven teens started to back towards the windows.

Professor Port, instead of launching into another tale, just chuckled and shook his head.

"Ah, but let's not talk about the past. Let's focus on present, and the future!" Seven explosive sighs of relief sounded.

"Now, I overheard a bit of your conversation. From what I understand, you want to start some self study group, right? Mind giving me any details?"

Jaune smiled, and quickly presented his idea to his favorite profesor. Port listened carefully, and when Jaune finished, smiled and clapped his hands.

"A splendid idea, truly splendid. I must say I'm surprised you didn't think of it sooner. Now, do you intend to make it an official studying circle?"

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Official?"

"Oh, you don't know? Student's can form official student groups. There are some formalities that need to be taken care of, but if such group works well, all members receive additional points on evaluation."

Weiss perked up at that. Jaune smiled. She was so easy, sometimes.

"And what are the formalities?" The heiress asked, suddenly very interested.

Professor Port hummed.

"Well, first of all, a list of the people involved, the theme they will be studying, as well as a schedule of sessions has to be presented to a faculty member. If this is something combat related, they need to have at least one teacher as a supervisor. If such an application is accepted, the group needs to select their representative. A person who will take care of all formalities needed for the group to function."

"I see…" Weiss hummed.

 _Ok, she is basically on board. Now, for the finishing blow…_

Two Witchers exchanged a quick glance.

"Well… I'm sure professor Port would agree to be our supervisor, right?

"Of course, Jaune my boy! What kind of teacher would I be, if I didn't do everything I can to support my dear students pursuit for knowledge?"

"It certainly sounds interesting. But I wouldn't want this to affect our grades..."

"Now, Miss Schnee, judging by yours, you have nothing to worry about!" Weiss blushed a little at the compliment.

"I'm sure you would have no trouble with it. But if you are concerned about it - since I'm sure you would have no problem covering necessary material yourselves, If you form this study group, you all will be excused from my classes. You would still have to pass the end of semester exam, but…"

"DEAL!" Seven voices sounded in unison. Profesor Port laughed, sending a discreet glance to Jaune. The blond boy remained composed on the outside, but internally he was cackling like a madman.

 _Hook, line, and snicker. Just as planned._

"Ok, so I assume everyone is on board with the idea?" He asked aloud. When he got confirmation from his friends, he smiled and nodded.

"Great. So, could you guys go with the professor and take care of the formalites? Me and Ren need to clean this up." He said pointing thumb towards tables covered in laboratory glassware.

"Do you want some help?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Nah, we will be fine. Go, we will join you soon."

Ren sighed, and moved to start clean up. After a few moments he noticed his team leader just stood there, not moving. He only stared at a single point, a blank expression on his face.

"Jaune?" The raven haired boy called out. The blond hunter don't answered at first, only titled his head to the side.

"Hey, Ren…"

"Yeah?"

"So, I think that last Elixir works quite well. Even if I don't focus on it too much, it doesn't seem to go nuts. And even if I boost my hearing, or sight, it seems to tune down on its own, if there are louder noises, or I look at something brighter."

Ren hummed.

"Sounds good. We will probably need to test it in some more extreme conditions. See how well it works when you go from a very dark room, to a bright one, or from complete silence to some very loud noises. What are the side effects?"

"That depends...Do you see the white Ursa in a pink suit with the trumpet sitting over there?"

Ren looked at direction his team leader was pointing.

"No, I don't see anything."

"Oh, that's good. I was almost certain it was part of the side effects. Just making sure."

Ren nodded, and went back to his work.

"I assume that means that giant yellow marshmallow moonwalking over there isn't real too?"

"No, I don't think so."

Jaune tsked.

"Damn. It has some nice moves, let me tell you."

"I see… Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't mention any of this around Nora. She might…. Just don't do it, ok?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

 **And that wraps up chapter 25. Jaune starts working on upgrading his elixirs, with the help of Ren. And with help of Port, he gets himself seven students. How will our resident blond monster slayer will fare in this role? Will he survive having to teach seven people? Will they serve him training?**

 **Also, a bit more insight on how Jaune's Semblance works.**

 **Anyway, Jaune is scheming, Weiss is being the voice of reason, and Ren is being cool. Like some hallucinations could faze this guy.**

 **And here is this week's omake. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Twice As Nice**

Things, Jaune decided, could be going better.

He wandered the streets of Vale looking in vain for Hunter's Rest, trying to keep his lunch down.

His latest Elixir mix had more than a few side-effects.

The vomiting was pretty standard, he was used to that by now. Same with the dizzy spells.

The hallucinations however? That was new.

He'd spent about an hour fighting imaginary Grimm...or five minutes, it was hard to tell at this point.

The voices had been creepy, but meeting Pumpkin Pete was pretty cool.

Now, he'd settled into double vision. Hooray for progress.

Finally, he saw the grand double doors of the bar and sighed with relief. He had thought he remembered there being two Ursa statues outside of Tob's place, but…he REALLY needed a drink at this point.

He pushed open the doors and was immediately assaulted by blaring music and flashing lights.

 _Yeah, definitely not Tob's place._

He turned to leave but caught sight of bar out of the corner of his eye.

 _Tob won't mind if I get just one drink at someone else's bar, right?_

He made a beeline for the bar, stumbling all the way. He practically tripped over the stool, before settling on the offending piece of furniture and ordering a scotch.

The tall, well dressed bartender looked at him skeptically over his sunglasses.

"You look like you've already had enough."

 _Who wears sunglasses indoors?_ Jaune thought.

"Please, it's been a rough day."

The man grunted in sympathy. "Yeah, I know about those. Ok kid, just don't start anything, or you'll have to deal with them." He nodded over Jaune's shoulder.

Jaune turned, and laid eyes on one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen. She, or more accurately, all four of her, had flawless pale skin, with jet black hair reaching down her back, and piercing green eyes.

What Jaune couldn't figure out, is why half of the hallucinations were wearing red, and the other white.

 _Oh Gods, it's getting worse._

The quartet of girls began making their way over at the bartender's insistence, and Jaune began to panic.

 _Oh No! I can't even think straight! Keep calm Jaune, just be confident!_

The bartender gestured towards Jaune. "Watch him. Seems chill enough, but I've had enough of drunk Hunters in my club."

"I think we can handle him." The girl in white spoke as she took a seat on his left.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem too tough." The one in red chipped in as she took the seat on his right.

 _How is she doing that!? What the hell was in that Elixir?_

Jaune knew he had a decision to make. If he tried to chat up the illusion, the girl would think he was crazy. He was going to have to guess.

He decided on the girl in white, she seemed mildly less aggressive.

"Hey pretty lady, does my bodyguard have a name?"

She frowned. "I think babysitter is more accurate."

He shrugged. "I'll take it."

She smirked. "Melanie."

"I'm Miltiades." The illusion on his right spoke.

He ignored her.

"I'm Jaune Arc. That's a pretty name, is it Valerian?" He asked.

Melanie looked at him in surprise, eyes widening a little, then broke out in a grin at her sister's flabbergasted expression.

"You're smarter than you look." She teased. "Where are you from blondie?"

 _It's going well!_

"Someplace a lot more boring than this." He said, gesturing to the lively bar. "What's working here like?"

The girl leaned back against the bar. "More boring than you'd think. Mostly just people watching. Occasionally someone will get out of hand, and my sister and I will have to put them down."

"Yeah we do." The illusion in red spoke again.

"A sister huh? She must be jealous."

Melanie cocked her head. "Why's that?"

Jaune chuckled. "How could she not be, with a sister as beautiful as you?"

"What the hell!" Miltiades shouted.

Melanie's grin returned. "Oh, I think I like you."

He mock bowed. "I'm here to entertain."

She leaned in. "And what if I get bored of you?"

He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Well, we'll just have to stop that from happening." His eyes flashed towards the dance floor. "Do you dance?"

She brushed her hair back. "Depends, are you any good?"

"Get a room." The illusion called.

He ignored it again, instead held out his hand, his confidence surging. "The best."

She giggled as she took his hand and they made their way to the dance floor, leaving a very confused, very angry Miltiades in their wake.

The girl in red fumed.

NO one ignored her. SHE was the pretty one.

She watched Jaune's form disappear into the crowd on the floor and made a decision.  
Her sister wasn't about to outdo her. Jaune Arc would be hers.

* * *

 **Omake written by JJD. I hope you enjoyed. See you next week.**


	27. First Contact

**Welcome to ch 26 of TPA. Sorry JJD for forcing you to go over it so late.**

* * *

Yang glared at her desk.

"What the hell is this?!"

Jaune shrugged.

"Books."

"I see that. What I want to know is why there is so many of them."

"You want to go on that mission, right? Well then, you have to pass the test. And to do that you have to study."

The blonde brawler groaned, picked one book, read the title, and sighed.

"Great, more studying. As if we didn't have enough of it already."

"Hey, no one said it would be easy."

Yang glared at him one last time, and went to read the book she picked.

"Couldn't you just sum it up for us?"

Jaune turned to Blake and shrugged.

"I could. But I need to visit the Company office, and get you guys registered as helpers. And it would be best if you would be doing _something_ productive when Weiss comes back."

"Where is she anyway?"

"Dunno. Probably taking care of some of the formalities regarding our study group." Jaune checked his croll.

"Ok, guys, I should be back in an hour or so. Then we can go over this material together."

"See ya. If it looks like you are about to get into some kinda mess, call us!"

Jaune glared at his fellow team leader, who was currently pretending she was reading one of the books he brought. Or maybe she was really reading? It was hard to say. With a sigh, Jaune turned around and left the Beacon library.

Seriously, they could have a little more faith in him? It's not like he got involved in messy stuff like Spring Valley that often… right?

Oh well, not that it mattered. Vale was quiet recently. Not counting oncoming uproar after a whole nearby village was wiped out, and a streak of robberies, and increased White Fang activity and…

Ok, it was hot mess ready to blow, but at very least Jaune was not part of any of that.

And he would do what he could to keep it that way.

* * *

The doors to team JNPR room slammed open, revealing a very angry Jaune. The blond leader stormed towards the bathroom without a word, completely ignoring his team.

"Fearless Leader looked upset…" Nora pointed out from over the book she was reading.

"Yeah… I wonder what happened." Pyrrha looked at the door to bathroom, concern mixed with curiosity.

"Maybe some troubles with the Company? He said he should be back after an hour or so, but he was gone for almost three."

Pyrrha shrugged. There was no point in guessing - they could just ask him.

A few minutes later, a much less angry Jaune walked out of the bathroom, and collapsed on his bed.

"So… what happened Fearless leader?"

Jaune groaned, covering his face with one hand.

"I had to face the worst monster that ever existed. Bureaucracy."

"Something about the job you want to take us on?"

Jaune sighed, and sat up, sending his partner a tired smile.

"No, it was about Spring Valley. They wanted me to 'just answer some questions'."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. On the brighter side, they didn't have too many problems with me taking you guys on the job. As long as they get confirmation from Beacon you are ready for this level of combat, and you pass the test to prove you knew at least a basic of fighting against Harrowed, you will be good."

Ren hummed, putting his book aside.

"You think we will pass it? I mean, we haven't even had a week, and there is a lot of material to cover here. And we still have to keep up with Beacon material."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just sum up the important parts for you." Jaune hummed, considering something. "In fact, we can go over it now. I got some more details about the job, so we can make it an early strategy meeting. Can someone call for RWBY?"

Pyrrha nodded, and opened her scroll.

"Ok ladies and Ren. Since I got some more details about this job we will be going on, I decided to hold this strategy meeting. Listen carefully, this might be an easy job, but it will make it all the more embarrassing if we fail."

He placed his scroo on the table, and tapped a few buttons.

"Here we see a map of the area we will be operating in. It's an old mining center near Red Mountain. There was some big accident there a few years back and the place was abandoned up until now. Someone bought the place out from old owners, and wants to restart mining operations. That's why this little clean-up operation was organized."

"The client put together their own team of Witchers to clean up the tunnels. Our job will be support. A total of seven teams will cover all known exits from the mine to ensure none of the Harrowed escape. All of us will cover one spot, seeing as you guys have no experience with this sort of thing."

"As for what Harrowed we will be dealing with - it's mostly Class One, exact number unknown. We probably won't encounter any Grimm there, but even if we do, I don't think we will see anything more than a few stray Beowolves, maybe some Ursa."

He looked over his friends, considering something for a moment.

"Ok, so since you know what you will be dealing with, tell me what you know about this type of Harrowed."

There were a few moments of silence, where everyone was just looking at each other. Unsurprisingly, it was Weiss who spoke first.

"Class One, commonly referred to as 'Ghouls', are the most common out of three types of Harrowed, amounting to around eighty percent of all recorded encounters. According to existing knowledge, they do not possess any special abilities, like Class Two do, but they physical capabilities much higher than most Grimm. On top of that, they are very intelligent, capable of working well in groups, and using advanced tactics to corner, and kill their prey."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Good. There are a few things I would like to add. First of all, never, ever turn your back on a Ghoul that you are not one hundred percent sure is really dead. Bastards can play dead quite well. Second - just because they are the most common type of Harrowed, do not take them lightly. Young ones are not too dangerous, but older ones are though, fast and strong. They can run incredibly fast, have extremely thick hides that can withstand fire from most handheld weapons, and, like Weiss said, are very smart. They usually prefer to charge from distance using their mass and speed to tackle they target to the ground and maul them to death. Their jaws are not as strong as Beowolf or Ursa, but can still deal some serious damage. "

"One more thing - if you damage a Ghoul's body too much before killing it, there is a chance it will turn into Wraith. So, if you can help it, no decapitations, or blowing them up."

Jaune ignored the disappointed 'aww' from Nora, and looked over his friends.

"Any questions?"

"You said we should make sure they are dead before we turn around. But this books of yours said that this 'corruption' will start disappearing after they die. Can't we just wait and see?" Asked Yang.

Jaune nodded.

"It's true, but not every Ghoul will turn back the same way. In some cases it's slow and steady process, sometime it can take hours, or even days for it to start, and it progress rapidly. So, just to be sure, hit it with something. Even if it's just small rock, they will think you saw through their act and attack you. You can also stab through the heart - this will kill them for sure... anything else?"

"Maybe some more tips on fighting them? Something we should watch out for?" Ruby suggested.

Jaune considered her question for a moment.

"Well, I'm not sure what to say. The fact that Ghouls do not have any special abilities makes fighting them very… simplistic, I guess? It all comes down to if you are fast and strong enough to beat one. Well, as long as you don't get ambushed, but hopefully we won't have to worry about that there."

"I guess one thing I could say is to not underestimate their capabilities. What we will be dealing with will be full grown Ghouls. Those bastards can reach around two and a half meters of height, and weigh around two hundred kilograms on average. If one of them tackles you, it's basically over. And they can jump very, _very_ far. From a standing position, it's around ten meters up, and twelve straight. With a run up, it goes up to around fifteen up and eighteen to even twenty straight. Not to mention they can run extremely fast - on average forty to fifty kilometers per hour."

"Your best beat is to dodge the initial charge, and either take it down in single strike, or cripple its hind leg. Without the ability to charge, they will be forced to just stand there and fight you, and they are not great at it."

Jaune hummed, and nodded.

"Ok, that is all I can think about at the moment. Any more questions?"

There were none, so both teams separated and retired for the night. After all, they were allowed to go only if their activities didn't affect their studies negatively.

* * *

 _And just like that, I survived another week at Beacon, without getting into trouble. Are you watching me, Leon?_

Jaune though, a melancholy smile on his lips, as he left Oobleck's classroom. He briefly wondered what his old teacher was up to now. Would he be proud of him, if he knew how well Jaune was doing? Probably yes, considering all the shit the blond had to deal with - most of it involving Nora in some matter.

With a sigh, Jaune adjusted his backpack and wandered off, no particular destination in mind. He could go to his dorm room where the rest of his team probably was - lucky bastards that don't have to attend Oobleck's supplementary lessons - or to library, to maybe do some homework. But seeing as it was a warm day, and the school week was over, he really wasn't in the mood to sit over some books. Instead, he ventured out to Beacon's courtyard, sat at one of benches and pulled something out of his backpack.

It was a mask of snarling wolf, painted white and gold. He just found it among his things Monday morning, along with a note stating when the next Ring of Mask would take place, and that 'His Queen demands his presence." He briefly considered not going - it was a silly thing, and not really his style, but ultimately showed up. After all, his teammates went to great lengths to organize it all, and he didn't lose anything by playing along.

And besides, after his first fight, Cardin finally stopped his attempts at bullying him, only from time to time sending him glares.

Jaune sighed, and leaned back, closing his eyes. Leon was still in Atlas, last time he checked. It was surprising, he usually didn't take a contract that locked him in one place for so long. Especially if it was in the northern parts of Atlas - Leon despised the cold almost as much as he did big cities.

 _At least he is alive. Wonder when he will come near Vale._ A Small smile crept across his lips. He couldn't wait to sit at Tob's fireplace, with mug of his special tea, and swap stories with his old friend. Afterall, he finally had some adventures that Leon wasn't a part of.

Jaune wasn't sure how he felt about that. Leon appeared in his life suddenly, almost out of nowhere. But they had become really close, really fast. Jaune could still remember that time when older man called him brother, a sentiment that he returned fully. It was strange really. There were many things about Leon that he don't know, a man always acting nonchalantly, as if nothing bothered him. But it never bothered Jaune. There was something about him that despite how he acted, Jaune felt connected to him in many ways.

 _Or maybe it is because of how he acted?_ The blond mused. Jaune recalled one time, when they visited some old man in Vacuo that Leon referred to as one of his best friends. That was one of reasons why blond boy was so surprised when he learned that his teacher don't know name of this person.

"I don't need to know your name to call you friend. All I need to know if you are a decent person, someone I can get along with." Leon said. These words really stuck with Jaune. Afterall, all those things like names, race, gender, or social standing didn't matter in the long run. You could be poor and be decent person, you could be rich and be an asshole, or the other way around. All that really mattered was, what kind of person you were.

"Lien for your thoughts?"

Jaune looked up, his blue eyes melting into silver ones.

"Hey Ruby. Just thinking about… stuff."

The young huntress chuckled and sat next to him.

"Yeah, I do that a lot too." She noticed the mask in his hand and smiled. "I see you got one yourself?"

Jaune chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm still surprised how a little sparring session could turn into… that. I mean, I know it's Nora who we talking about, but still." He shook his head. "How did she even get Ozpin to approve of this madness."

Ruby hummed, then shot him a look.

"You really want to know?"

Jaune open his mouth, closed it, pondered something for a moment, then just shook his head.

"Probably not. I'm getting exposed to too much madness already."

Ruby giggled, and leaned back, swinging her legs. They just sat there in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So, how are things with your team?"

Ruby smiled at him.

"Good! I think I'm starting to get this whole leadership thing. Weiss doesn't look upset _all_ the time, just, you know like ninety-seven, maybe ninety-eight percent of the time."

Jaune gasped in mock shock.

"Really?!"

Ruby nodded seriously.

"Yeah. She even complimented me once, saying I did a good job!"

Jaune started at her, eyes wide.

"No way…" He shook his head and looked up at the sky. "I tell you, the end days are upon us. Soon the moon will fall from the sky, and the world will be destroyed by white flame, to be reborn anew." He exclaimed dramatically.

Ruby chuckled and shook her head.

"Don't be so dramatic. It's not that big of a deal."

"No, you just don't know Weiss as well as I do. She never compliments anyone. Never!"

"Well, yeah, we might have broken her a bit. I mean - she was exposed to Yang's puns for over a month now. Things like that change you, you know?"

"I guess."

They smiled at each other, and chuckled, yet again falling silent.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"About this mission… could you give me some tips? I mean you gave us those books, and there were the strategy meetings, but…"

"Nervous?"

"Yeah. I mean, this will be my first time working alongside professionals! I don't want to end up doing something stupid."

"Don't worry about it Rubes. It won't be that different than fighting Grimm. Besides…" he paused and shook his head. " Well, it will be better if you find out yourself."

"Hey! You can't say something like that and then leave me hanging." She pouted at him. "Spill. What did you mean."

"Now, don't be mad. It's just that… fighting Harrowed is different that fighting Grimm. I'm not talking about tactics, or their abilities. It's about… feeling. They presence."

"Presence?"

"Yeah. It's…" Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, it's really hard to explain. You will find out soon enough anyway. I'm sure you'll all do just fine, and I'll be there to help you out if something goes wrong. So don't worry, and do your thing."

"You mean being a badass Huntress?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah, that one."

"But there is this test… I'm not good with tests." She complained.

"Relax. Half of it will be the combat one, and as for theory…" he shrugged. "You'll manage somehow."

She punched him in the arm pouting. He punched her back, smirking.

"Anyway, we should be going. Better be ten minutes too early than two too late." Said Jaune, after a few minutes of playful punching. Ruby nodded, and pulled out her scroll, calling her team. Jaune did the same, and soon all eight of them were on a bullhead to Vale.

* * *

"Your performance was acceptable. Your application for this job will be accepted." That was all the man in a black suit told them before leaving. Jaune smirked at his friends' stunned expressions.

"So… that's it?" Asked Yang, cleary not certain what to make of it.

"Yep." Jaune confirmed with a nod.

 _Wait for it..._

"That was… cold. Are they always liked that?" Asked Blake.

Jaune just nodded, hand clutching his scroll, and eyes focused on a single person.

 _Any moment now…_

"He said acceptable… but what does it even mean? I mean, did we do good? We couldn't do bad, right? But was it like, 'barely passed', or 'full marks'?"

"What does he mean 'acceptable'! Does he know who I am? A Schnee don't do 'acceptable'!" Weiss exploded.

Jaune grinned, pulling out his scroll, and hitting the record button.

 _She is so cute when she is mad…_

He thought, recording the ranting heiress. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Yang doing the same. The blond brawler winked at him with a smirk.

"Relax Weiss." He called when it looked like the white haired girl was about to have a stroke. "This isn't school, they don't give you any marks here. You either pass or don't - that is the only thing that matters."

The heiress glared at him, but calmed down a bit.

"Anyway, now that the formalities are out of way, we should get going. We will be setting off soon."

They nodded, and grabbed their bags. Jaune led them through the familiar corridors of Vale's Company main office, until they reached a bullhead landing pad. It was crowded, filled with rugged and armed people. Yang had to keep a good grip on Ruby's cloak to prevent the young Huntress from running off. She still ogled every new weapon she saw, earning a few chuckles from surrounding Hunters.

Soon after, the bullheads arrived. Both JNPR and RWBY boarded a single machine, and after everyone strapped themselves in, Jaune banged the back wall of the cockpit three times. Engines roared, and they flew off.

"Ok people, listen up. We will reach our destination in about three hours. We stay the night at camp, and move out in the morning. Operation starts at seven a.m., by then we have to be ready at our position, so we will be getting up early. If everything goes right, we will be done by sunset, if not we will continue the day after tomorrow. Now relax, and enjoy the ride."

 _So here we go. First joint mission of teams JNPR and RWBY._ He thought, looking over his friends, a small smile on his lips. Then the thought hit him, and with it, his smile died.

 _Please, don't turn into a disaster. Pretty please._ He thought, closing his eyes.

* * *

"Ugh, it's too early." Yang groaned.

"Its six a.m. It's not early." Blake pointed out.

"Maybe for you. But I need my beauty sleep, you know?" The blond complained, stiffing a yawn.

"Maybe if you would get to sleep when we told you to, instead of insisting we start telling ghost stories or other nonsense such like that, _all_ of us could catch some more sleep." Weiss huffed, arms crossed.

Yang glanced at the heiress, and shrugged.

"You are just mad that you missed out on the eye candy."

The white haired girl gasped, and blushed slightly.

"That's just not true!"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to deny it Ice Queen. You were ogling your knight all morning."

"I wasn't!"

"Suuuuuuure. I'll pretend I believe that."

And she wasn't kidding about the eye candy. There were a lot of young and strong Hunters there. None of them were doing anything to show off, like the boys the night before initiation did. There were some who caught her eye, and she noticed a few of them look back. Not stare, just shooting her curious glances, nodding in approval, and then looking away. It was nice change from being ogled by hormonal teenagers.

Her eyes drifted to Jaune. The blond teen was standing at a nearby table, looking over some map, her sister next to him. She was a little shocked when she saw him emerge from his tent topless. Not because he was especially well built - even though he definitely had nothing to be ashamed of. No, it was because of the scars. There were a few small ones, but the one that caught her - and not only her - attention were four broad gashes on his chest. They were pale, not that different in color than rest of the skin, which made it clear they were old ones.

Yang briefly wondered how he got them. Hunters usually didn't have scars. Aura protected them from most damage, and usually healed what went through. And if a Hunter lost all his Aura? Well usually they walked out of it with a missing limb, or two, or didn't walked out at all.

Jaune and Ruby finished their little 'leader's meeting' and motioned them to come over.

"We will be stationed here." Jaune pointed at a green '7' on the map. "It's an exit from an old ventilation shaft. Too dangerous for a bullhead to fly there because of strong winds, so we will have to move on foot. Grab only the necessary things and camping equipment. We might have to stay overnight if operation drags out."

"We will be hiking for almost five kilometers through rocky terrain." Ruby took over "We decided on this path. We probably won't encounter any Grimm, but for safety, Blake, I want you to move a bit in front of us, act as scout." The black haired girl nodded. "Jaune and Pyrrha will be the head of our formation. Ren and Weiss will be in the center. Me and Nora will be the rear guard. Questions?"

"Yeah. When did my little sister grow up so much?" Yang teased, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

Ruby glared at her. Actually _glared._ Yang would probably be impressed, if she wasn't so shocked.

"Yang, this is no time for jokes."

"She's right." Jaune looked them over, his face completely serious."We are in a combat zone, so I will be expecting everyone here to take it seriously."

They all nodded, and on Jaunes signal went out to prepare for the hour long track.

"He really changed, didn't he?"

Yang looked up to her partner, who was watching Jaune with a complicated expression.

"The moment we landed, he changed. It's like someone flipped a switch." Blake met her eyes. "I'm not imagining it, am I?"

"Well, it would make two of us then." Yang agreed.

Her partner was right. Gone was Jaune 'Dork-knight' Arc, her favorite teasing target, not counting Ruby. He changed into Jaune 'Badass Witcher' Arc. He acted differently than at Beacon. He stood a bit straighter, walked and spoke with more confidence. His eyes were sharp, focused. He really reminded her of her dad and uncle. He wasn't quite there yet, he lacked a certain... edge they had, Bbt he was close, definitely closer than any other first year at Beacon.

She watched with a smile as Ruby ran up to him with the map, explaining something. He was nodding along, chin cupped in one hand. From time to time he asked something, or pointed some spot on the map. At first she was worried her little sister would be put off by her friend's sudden change, but it looked like she didn't need to worry. Ruby not only wasn't put off, she even become more focused herself. Gone was her social awkwardness and dorkiness.

Part of her, a big part, was proud and happy.

The other part though couldn't help but notice how close she was standing to Jaune, how often their hands brushed. And how much Ruby stared at Jaune's naked chest this morning.

It looked like she would have to keep a close eye on her little sister.

* * *

"So, this is the place?"

Blake nodded.

"Yes. I checked it out, the exit form shaft is hidden behind those bushes." She said, pointing at a green spot, about ten meters up the grey, rocky wall form the place they stood.

Jaune hummed, stroking his chin.

"Any chance we can climb there and fight them in that tunnel?"

"No. It starts going down right behind the edge, and it's an almost vertical drop. Plus its narrow, I had to bend a little to fit in."

The blond Hunter nodded.

" So, I guess we just wait down here, and let them come to us."

"Should I take the high ground? If I climb one of these trees, I would have a clean shot at the entrance." Asked Ruby.

Jaune considered it for a moment, then shook his head.

"Too risky. You would be clearly visible, and Ghoul could lunge far enough to reach those trees." He looked over his surrounding and shrugged.

"I guess we just hide, and wait. If any come out, we take it out."

They spread out, each looking for a hiding spot that would let them rest at least somewhat comfortably. Jaune pulled out his scroll, reported that they were ready, and joined Ruby behind the trunk of some tree.

"So, now we wait?" The young Huntress asked.

"Now we wait. Two more groups have yet to report in, but it should start soon."

As if on cue, the muffled sound of gunfire reached them. They tensed, and they relaxed, realizing it was far away. Minutes passed, mostly in silence. After a hour or so, Ruby shot a glance at her fellow team leader. He was focused on the spot where entrance to shaft was supposed to be, as he was the whole time. Ruby doubted he looked away from it for even a moment.

She bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. She really wanted to ask him a few things, but should she? Wasn't talking during a mission some sort of taboo? But Jaune didn't seem bothered when she wanted to talk with him back in the camp, so maybe it was ok as long as she asked Hunter related stuff?

"Hey, Jaune…"

His hand shot up, pressing on small communication device in his ear.

"Yeah?" He listened for a moment, then nodded.

"Roger."

He stood up, drawing Eclipse.

"Get up everyone, we have hostiles inbound to our location."

They all shot to their feet, reading their weapons.

"How many?" sked Pyrrha, standing next to Jaune.

"Five. Folks from the clean up team say they developed some kind of armor on their backs. Not too tough, but something to watch out for. Listen, Ghouls can see in the dark, but they need a bit of adjustment time when going somewhere well lit. Plus, they are not very good at climbing down, so they'll probably just tumble down. They will be disoriented, and that's when we will get them. Weiss, try to immobilize at least one. Just remember that they have very strong legs. Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"You think you will be able to hit them when they are falling?"

She stared at him.

"Sorry, of course you can. Let the first four out, we don't want them to realize we are there until the last moment. Shoot the last one when he stumbles out, try to aim for the belly. And if you manage to shoot their legs, it would make the fifth much easier."

She nodded, and readied Crescent Rose.

"The rest of us will just charge them. Ruby's the only one here with gun powerful enough to damage them. And no, you can't use your grenades Nora." The ginger girl pouted, but didn't argue.

"Everyone ready?" They shouted out their confirmation. They could not hear the sound of claws scraping on the stone.

"Here they come. We go in when Ruby shoots."

The first Ghoul fell out of the hidden shaft, and crashed down heavily. It curled up, letting out a strange, whistling noise.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, it sounded awfully close to crying.

The next one come out more carefully. It peeked outside, and backed out, as if hurt by the sunlight. It soon jumped out though. It fell with far more grace than the first one, but still landed heavily and curled up.

Ruby risked a quick look around. Most of them looked as uncomfortable as her, hearing the strange noises those Ghouls let out. Ren, Jaune and Blake seemed to be only ones unbothered by it.

The third one fell off, followed quickly by forth. The fifth one peeked outside. It looked to hesitate, then tried to climb down the slope. It didn't cover even a tenth of distance to ground before falling.

Crescent Rose sang.

Two of the four monsters on the ground perked up, one standing at its full height. It let out a loud, screeching noise. Moments later his legs started to cover in ice. It struggled to break free, but ice kept coming, eventually freeing it from the waist down.

"Ruby." Jaune calmly called out.

She nodded, took aim, and fired again.

The second Ghoul, who got to its feet, stumbled, and fell down. The remaining two got on all fours, and started running.

 _Fast…_

Ruby thought, talking aim at the next one. She noticed how its legs tensed, and recalled Jaune's lesson. Not even second after she used her Semblance to dash up, something big crashed into the spot she was just a moment before.

Jaune and Pyrrha were already upon it, hacking and slashing. She could see Nora preparing to join in, Ren close behind. She landed on a branch and scanned the battlefield. Blake and Weiss took on the last healthy Ghoul, and were doing fine. Thanks to their Semblances, they were able to keep it disoriented, and scored hit after hit.

The fifth one was lying on the ground, not moving. The one she shot was getting to its feet, and stalking towards the two fighting girls. They didn't see him, too focused on their fight.

The Ghoul, too focused on his prey, didn't notice the yellow meteor that crashed into him. Yang's punch sent it flying back, and crashing into the mountain's side. She followed soon after, pummeling it with a flurry of punches.

After making sure the frozen one was still immobilized, she took aim at the one lying on the ground. A high caliber bullet went into its chest, from the side, no doubt turning any internal organs into mush. Ruby winced a little when she noticed the splatter of blood.

Grimm didn't bleed, not like that at least. It looked much more…

She shook her head, dispelling the thought. They were monsters, nothing more.

A quick look over the battlefield confirmed that the fight was almost over. Jaune's team easily dispatched their Ghoul, while Blake finished hers, after Weiss locked its limbs with ice.

The only one left was the frozen one, and the heiress was walking towards him confidently. Ruby could hear the hum of her glyph forming, and then her partner turned into a white blur, piercing the heart of Harrowed, and ending the fight.

After confirming all the Ghouls were dead, they gathered in the circle. Jaune looked over them and sighed.

"So? What's your impression after your first encounter with Harrowed?"

"It was… strange. Somehow different than fighting Grimm." said Blake.

"Yeah. It's not about how they moved, or looked. It just felt… I don't know." Yang shook her head.

Jaune smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"It didn't felt natural, did it? You guys felt conflicted about killing them."

They looked at each other, surprised.

"Yes… I think you are right." Ren nodded slowly. "But why? They are monsters, like Grimm. What's the difference?"

Jaune signed, drawing Eclipse once more.

"They are monsters." He agreed, walking towards the nearest Ghoul." But they are not like Grimm." His black blade pierced its black chest. They gasped in shock, but any question stopped when blond boy started reciting some kind of chant… or was it a prayer?

"I am Guide for the damned,

I am the Ferryman of lost souls.

With this blade I release yours, dear Friend.

I will cut down the chains of sorrow that bind you,

I will vanquish the fear that crushes you.

I will bring you peace."

They watched in amazement as the blackness faded from corpse. It shifted, morphed, and when the last word left Jaune's mouth, it was no longer a monster lying before them, but a human. Heavily deformed, but definitely human.

"Grimm, are true monsters. Every person knows this. This goes deeper than simple knowledge. They are the antithesis of life. If you face Grimm, you know without any doubt that one of you will die, because you and it cannot possibly exist together. That's why killing them is easy. They are... _wrong,_ something that shouldn't exists."

Jaune looked at them, recalling the words Leon said to him, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Harrowed however, they are people. Tormented people. They might look deformed,and monstrous, but there is something about them that remains human. You can feel it. And then you start to wonder. 'Am I doing right thing? Is killing them necessary? Maybe there is another way to help them?'"

He sighed, remaining silent for a few moments.

"There is no other way. They are dead, and the best, _only_ thing we can do for them, is to help them move on. Release them from the torment of this cursed existence."

He looked every one of them in the eye.

"This is what it means to be a Witcher. If you want to follow this path, you have to ask yourself, if you can…" he stopped when his scroll signalled an incoming call.

With a frown, he picked it up. It deepened when he noticed who was calling.

"Boss?"

"Team Seven, what is your status?"

"We just finished cleaning up the Ghouls that ran towards us. No casualties. On our side that is."

"Good, then get back to the main camp. We got a problem."

With this, the call ended.

 _Fuck my life._ Thought Jaune, urging his friend to move out.

* * *

 **Poor Jaune, he just can't get a break. What kind of mess did he get himself - and his friends - into this time? Find out next week.**

 **And here is omake:**

* * *

"Sooo… how old are you anyway?" Asked Jaune one evening. They were camping out in a small cave. Well, calling it that was too generous, it was more of small dent in the mountain wall. But it did provide cover from the wind and rain.

Leon looked up at him from his plate.

"What brought that question up?"

Jaune chuckled nervously.

"I guess I'm just curious?"

Leon considered him for a moment, then shrugged.

"No idea."

Jaune blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"I have no idea how old I am." With a sigh Leon put his plate down.

"My oldest memory is living in a small, wooden cabin in the woods somewhere in northern Vale. The only other person I knew for most of my life was some old guy. I called him Gramps, though I don't know if we were related, or not. It didn't matter in the end."

"He didn't speak much, but he taught me many things. Letters and numbers. How to hunt, how to hide from bigger predators. How to fight Grimm. We didn't have TV, or anything like that. No real way to measure time either. Not that we needed it. One day he handed me a backpack, and said it's time for me to move out. I think I was younger than when we first met back then. He pointed one direction, said there is village there, and that I needed to start living with other people."

Leon paused for a moment, lost in thought.

"I came back week later. Buried his body, and burned the hut down. Gramps wanted me to move out, to people, because he knew I had little chance to survive on my own there. But it wasn't easy out there either. Got robbed a few times, forced to join a few gangs. But I think the worst was starving. And the cold. One of gangs that caught me dealt in human trafficking, and they shipped me to Atlas. Was rough there, but I meet some good people. Old man, remained me of Gramps. I think he was even someone important, even though his home was small and always messy. He took care of me, gave me chance in life. A purpose. He's still alive and kicking, old fart, always coming up with new crazy things."

Jaune could only stare. Then shook his head, and started asking about today's sparring. Leon neither wanted, nor needed his pity. If a man never had any real family? Well, Jaune had seven sisters. One brother certainly sounded nice.

* * *

 **And here it is, a bit of backstory for Leon. See you folks next week.**


	28. Hands On Learning

**Here comes ch 27.**

* * *

Jaune's mind raced, as they ran down the rocky path as fast as they dared. What could have happened? Did one of the parties get wiped out? No, they should have been able to call help if something went wrong. Was the main camp attacked by Grimm or bandits? There were ten Hunters there on guard duty, so it would have to be a really big group to warrant calling lookouts down. Plus, he hadn't heard any sounds of combat through the scroll, so that probably wasn't it.

Maybe the expedition party ran into trouble? It was a twenty person strong group, all of them experienced Witchers, some of whom Jaune worked with in the past. There was no way that they would be overwhelmed by Ghouls. They might have run into something more dangerous, maybe some kind of invisible Wraith, or Aberration… But he knew for sure at least two people there had techniques to detect invisible enemies. It was hard to imagine any Harrowed could wipe out a group that big out.

Then again, it didn't have to be a monster. The mine hadn't been used for years. Maybe some of the support pillars had weakened, and were broken in the fight? Several tons of rock falling on your head would easily take out any Hunter, no matter how much Aura you had.

Should he send Ruby ahead? With her Semblance, she could reach camp much faster than any of them, and she didn't have to worry about tripping and falling. But what if camp was under attack? If it was Grimm, Ruby would be fine, but if it was a large horde of Harrowed, or worse - bandits…

Was Ruby ready to fight humans? Seriously fight them? He didn't doubt she could knock someone out. Even if she went against adults, and was outnumbered, he was sure she could wreck a small bandit tribe on her own without breaking a sweat.

But how would she react when the killing started? If someone attacked a camp guarded by Hunters, they had to have some kind of advantage. Either numbers, military grade weapons, or Aura users of their own.

The memory of his first kill flashed in his mind. He lost something that day, he knew that. Leon knew too, even though they didn't talk about it too much. What terrified Jaune the most was not fact he had killed, but how… unbothered by it he was. He knew that killing a person was something wrong, and that he should feel _something._ But he just didn't. Not then, not after.

When he told Leon about it, his teacher said it was probably because Jaune didn't think about those he killed as people. It helped get the job done, but was risky.

"We are supposed to kill monsters, no matter how many legs they walk on, or if they can speak. Just watch out to not become one of them along the way." Were his words.

Jaune winced. He wasn't bothered by it anymore, but somehow doubted his friend could accept killing others so easily.

 _Well, no point in over thinking it._ Thought Jaune, jumping over a fallen tree.

He would get his answers when he gets back to the camp. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late to help.

* * *

The first thing Jaune noticed when he and his friends burst into the clearing where the main camp was located, was that it was still standing. The second was the makeshift barricade in front of entrance to the mine. Third - numerous bodies, thankfully, all belonging to Ghouls.

"Go to the barricade, see if they need help. If not, go grab something to eat, but be ready to fight at anytime. Ruby, you are in charge until I come back."

The red Huntress nodded, and sprinted away, followed by the rest of his friends. Jaune made his way to the big tent in the center of the camp.

"What happened?"

He asked as soon as he was inside. There were five people inside. The man that hired them all, and four Hunters that Jaune recognized as part of his escort.

"The thing is, we're not sure." The older man said with sigh. "I got contacted by team Alpha that there were some complications. Moments later there was an explosion, and we haven't had word from them since. Not long after, some Ghouls started to run out of mine. At first there were only a few, but the number kept increasing. That's why I had to call down some of the lookout teams."

Jaune cursed. None of the Witchers form team Alpha would be stupid enough to use explosives against Ghouls. In the depths of a long abandoned mine nonetheless.

"Are we sending a rescue party?"

"I'm not sure we can afford it. It's calm now, but more Ghouls can come in anytime. I already called in some reinforcements." He paused for a moment, looking at Jaune.

"Say, kid. You have a sniper on that team of yours, right?"

Jaune nodded, confused.

"Thing is, after I called down the lookouts…"

"Sir, Alpha team returned!" Someone called out from outside.

Everyone in the tent relaxed, the boss letting out a relieved sigh.

"Bring the team lead to me. Any casualties?"

"No. Just a few scratches and burns."

A few moments later, a surprisingly young looking man with platinum blond hair and light armor entered the tent. Beside some dirt on his clothes and face, he looked unharmed.

"What happened?" Their employee cut straight to the case.

"We ran into a fire Wraith not fully formed yet, but it was sending out waves of fire from time to time. Before we could decide what to do, something exploded. Not sure what, but probably some old mining explosives, or maybe Dust. We decided to not check out if there were any more, and retreated."

"Shit." Their boss eloquently summed up. Jaune couldn't agree more. Fighting a fire Wraith in an enclosed space? When there was potentially some old explosives just lying around? Not his definition of fun.

"What are the chances it will come out to us?" Jaune asked.

"Small. It was pretty deep inside."

The blond boy let out a tired sigh.

"So we gotta go and deal with it in its lair? Great."

"Well, me might not have to. One of my men said he can try and make some bait. Hopefully it will lure the Wraith out."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"Bait? I didn't know you could make bait for Wraiths."

The other Witcher shrugged.

"Neither did I. You learn something new every day, don't you?"

Jaune nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

 _Bait for Wraiths? Now that's something I would like to learn how to do._

"Yeah, you are right. Am I needed for anything? If not, I will go back to my team before they mess something up." He said aloud.

His temporary boss hummed, considering him for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, not anymore. We will... Wait, did you have any Ghoul encounters up there?"

Jaune nodded.

"Five. All taken care of."

"Good. You can go now."

Jaune nodded and left. He found his friends manning the barricade, weapons at the ready. He quickly explained the situation to them, and left to look for the mysterious bait-maker. Who knows? Maybe he would be willing to share his recipe?

* * *

"What are you reading?" Asked Ruby, peeking over Jaune's shoulder.

"Just some notes I took." The blond answered with a smile. After proving that he wouldn't blow himself up, the older WItcher was willing to teach Jaune how to make the Harrowed bait. It was much more complicated than he expected, but he was certain he would manage somehow. And a few tricks that he learned along the way should prove helpful in his own research.

Jaune smiled. So far this little job proved to be a very good idea. The fire Wraith was a complication, but not as bad as it might be. So far there were no casualties on their side, not even serious injuries.

 _So far, so good._ Thought Jaune, closing his notebook and stretching.

"So… we just wait now?" Asked Ruby, sitting next to him.

"Yep."

She sighed.

"Something wrong?" Jaune asked.

"No… it's just that there is a lot more waiting that I thought."

He chuckled.

"Let me guess - you thought we'd burst in there, guns blazing, killing monsters by the dozen?"

She blushed and pouted.

Jaune laughed.

"Unfortunately, this is what it usually looks like. Leon always said that the most important trait for a Witcher is patience. Hunting Harrowed takes time, since unlike Grimm they won't just charge at you head-on. There is usually a lot of preparation that needs to be done. Investigating terrain, figuring out what type of Harrowed you are dealing with, how many of them there are, and so on. It can sometimes take weeks of investigations before you even start hunting. And then you might spend a few weeks more trying to track one down."

"That's sound a lot less exciting than I thought…"

Jaune shrugged.

"That's life for you."

She hummed in agreement.

"Hey, guys, hate to interrupt your alone time, but I need to ask something." A new voice sounded from behind them. They turned around, seeing the leader of team Alpha approaching them.

"Jaune Arc, right?" He asked, extending his hand.

Jaune shook the offered hand.

"Yeah. And you are…?"

"Ash. Your company profile says you have some sort of Aura vision?"

Jaune nodded.

"Can you be lookout? Tell us when the Wraith starts forming? We have a lot of firepower here, with a bit of luck we should be able to take it out before it fully forms."

"Sure thing. When are we starting.

Ash shrugged.

"As soon as the bait is ready. Shouldn't be too long now."

"Got it."

Jaune got up and stretched.

"Let's join up with the rest. There are a few things we need to discuss before the fighting starts."

* * *

"So? Any sign of it showing up?" Asked Ash.

Jaune shook his head.

"Not yet."

The older man nodded, and ran off when someone called him.

"So, Ladykiller, what was this important thing you wanted to tell us?"

Jaune didn't turn, his attention focused on the area in front of him.

"We are about to face a fire Wraith. There isn't time for me to get in too much detail, so here is what you need to know. Wraiths are very different from Ghouls. Unless you know _exactly_ what to do, you should never fight one, at least not in melee. Every Wraith has a bunch of special abilities, one of them being the ability to drain Aura from their surroundings. You can resist it with some practice, but since you guys have none, you need to keep your distance. At least twenty five meters, thirty to be safe."

"Got it. Anything else we should know?" Asked Ruby.

"Wraiths are very agile, it's hard to damage them with guns. Explosives work better, but be careful to not hit a friend. They can turn incorporeal, making them immune to most attacks, but also greatly reducing their attack power. They use it mainly to escape, or to close distance when attacking from range."

"So, what's the plan?" Asked Yang.

Jaune's muscles tensed when he noticed small bits of Aura flowing out of the mine entrance. When they didn't start to consolidate into a Wraith, he relaxed.

"There is a brief moment, just before it fully forms, when it is vulnerable to damage, but can't yet use its abilities. Sometime it's a few seconds, sometimes it's just half of one. If we're lucky, we might be able to take it out then. On my signal, just shoot it."

"And how will we know what to shoot?"

Jaune smirked.

"When you see a giant fireball pop out of thin air, that starts taking on a vaguely humanoid shape, that's probably it."

Yang chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Get ready, it's coming!" Jaune suddenly shouted.

* * *

It happened in an instant.

One moment she was looking at an empty space between them and entrance to the mine, the next it all exploded in flames. Blake barely had time to take aim at the center of the inferno, before the flames congregated in one spot, forming the Wraith. Or at least she assumed that's what it was. Judging by what Jaune had said earlier, it probably was. It took barley a second for it to form fully, and the Harrowed let out a loud screech.

She heard someone curse, and judging by how everyone lowered their weapons, she guessed that the opportunity to shoot it was gone.

"So, what now?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Now we watch. It's bad idea to send too many people to fight a Wraith. They can attack a wide area, and the more people that are close to them, the more Aura they will be able to drain."

Blake noticed four people move into the empty space between them and the Harrowed, each with a black sword in hand. It noticed them almost instantly, letting out a low, humming sound.

The four men tensed, but kept moving forward. When they were about ten meters away from the Wraith, the sound stopped.

Instantly, every Witcher jumped to the side, narrowly dodging pillars of fire that erupted in the spots where they had just been.

"Like I said earlier, fighting a Wraith is very different than fighting Ghouls, or Grimm. They have a bunch of special abilities that you need to either counter, or dodge. That's why you can split fighting a Wraith into three phases. First one is testing. You take it slow, keep your distance, only throw attacks from time to time. What you focus on is observing the Wraith. Every special attack they make is telegraphed in some way. There are slight differences between each Wraith, but once you fight a few, you can guess when they are about to pull something."

Blake nodded. It made sense, especially when she saw how the four Witchers acted. They moved in unison, as if the whole fight was choreographed. This continued for about a minute.

"Now, the second phase - damaging. Thing about Wraiths is, since they continuously drain your Aura, you can't afford to drag the fight for too long. With some practice, you can learn how to resist this effect, but you can never eliminate it completely. On the other hand, if you go at it too aggressively, you not only risk taking a lot of damage from its attacks, but also letting it escape. If you damage a Wraith too much too fast, it will just turn into mist and run away, so you need to set the right tempo. Not too fast, not too slow."

"There are different ways to approach this, it really depends on person, their weapon, and how the Wraith acts. But the most important thing is to judge how much damage you are doing to it. One way to do so is by its attacks. When it uses..."

Jaune suddenly paused, turned away from the battle and covered his ears. Seeing as everyone else did the same, Blake followed his example.

She had only a second to wonder if she should somehow cover her additional pair too, before the wave of sound hit her. It was the most terrible noise she ever heard in her life. She felt as if her soul was being ripped out of her body. It only lasted for a moment, and when it ended, Blake realized she was kneeling, something wet dripping from her nose. She tried to get up, but her vision swam. She staggered, and would have fallen if someone hadn't held her.

"You ok?"

She looked up at the blond team leader.

"Y-yeah. What the hell was that?"

Jaune shrugged.

"One of the most annoying skills of Wraiths. They start using it when they are heavily damaged. Leon used to call it a 'rage attack'."

She nodded, lifting a hand to wipe her face. It came away stained red, and only then Blake realized her nose was bleeding. She looked back at her friends, noticing most of them had shocked expressions, similar to her. The only ones seemingly to not be affected by the attack were Jaune, which was not a surprise, and Ren, which was a bit of a surprise.

"Beside this scream..." Jaune continued, once all of them regained their bearings. "Another way to judge the damage you are doing is to observe the Wraith's color. The pailer they are, the more damage they've taken. So, when they get to be almost white, it's time to go for the killing blow. If you are using a normal weapon, that is. With a black sword, you only need to stab it, and keep the blade in its body for a few seconds. Of course it's hard to do when the Wraith is at full strength, so weakening it first is a good idea."

A loud scream announced the end of the fight. From what Blake had seen, two Witchers worked together to draw the weakened Wraith's attention, while the remaining two backed off, and circled behind the creature. When it got distracted, they sprinted forward, burying their swords in its back.

The Wraith's flames burst out, and disappeared, leaving only its transparent shape. Its pained, angry scream slowly faded away, as did its body, turning into motes of white light. After just a few seconds, the Wraith was gone. Blake could have sworn she heard a relieved gasp from the creature, just before it disappeared.

"It's over?" Ruby asked. Her voice was only a whisper, and somehow Blake thought it appropriate.

"Yes."Jaune said with nod. "The Wraith is gone. But I guess we still have some Ghouls to deal with."

"Damn right you do." Blake had to force herself to not scowl at the man that just passed her. Not only was he techincialy her employer now, but it would be also rude to act hostile towards someone who never harmed her in any way. Afterall, not every mine owner was exploiting Faunus.

"I ran some numbers, and based on your reports, at least a hundred Ghouls still sit in there." He looked up at the darkening sky, and shook his head.

"But I guess we'll have to deal with it tomorrow. Ash?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Keep at least two people on the watch at the entrance. Also, send some lookouts to the spots we called people from. I don't want any of those Ghouls to run away."

"Understood."

"Ok people, you have earned your rest. Unfortunately, we will have to camp through the night."

A few groans sounded.

"Fortunately, because I like to be prepared, A bullhead with food and a few good cooks should be here shortly. So at very least you will have a decent meal.

A lot of cheers sounded.

* * *

The second day passed without any incident. They were stationed at the same spot as the previous day. Ghouls started to show up much faster now, and new groups were appearing often. Not often enough to push them too hard, but often enough to keep them on alert the whole time.

After five hours, it was over. They returned to the main camp exhausted, more from having to stay on alert all this time than from fighting. After a quick meal, and some debriefing, they boarded the first bullhead back to Vale.

"Ok guys, I need to take care of a few formalities. I'll see you back in Beacon, ok?" Jaune said as soon as they landed.

They nodded, and boarded another bullhead, this one with the Beacon logo on its side. The trip was short, and they spent most of their time in idle chatter. Though their mood dropped a bit when they saw who was waiting for them at Beacon's air docks.

"Welcome back students. I hope your trip went well?" Asked Glynda Goodwitch.

Seeing as no one else was saying anything, and her traitorous sister pushed her in front of their little group, Ruby gulped and nodded.

"Y-yeah. It went well."

"I see." She looked them over, with a stern expression. Which was her normal expression, Ruby guessed.

"Mr. Arc didn't come back with you?"

"No.. Yes! I mean… he did come back with us to Vale, but then he said he had something to take care of, and he went off, and told us we would meet back at Beacon, and… yeah." She finished lamely. And still, none of her so called 'friends' came forward to help her. Traitors, every last one of them. Jaune was the only one she could count on!

"I see. Well then, when he comes back, please tell him to visit my office." She nodded once towards them and walked away.

Ruby frowned. Jaune didn't get into any trouble, did he?

* * *

"Now, Ladykiller, what did you want to talk about?" Asked Yang, leaning on a desk in the unused classroom that had become Jaune and Ren's laboratory.

The blond laughed nervously, trying to not stare at her cleavage. Yang was honestly amazed by how different Jaune was on the mission, compared to how he acted at Beacon. It was almost as if he become a different person.

"Well… I wanted to talk a bit more about Wraiths." He said, rubbing the back of his head, his usual dorky smile in place.

 _Now, which one of you is real the Jaune? Dork Knight or Badass Witcher?_

It didn't really matter, she supposed. What did matter was the squirming blond boy in front of her. She pouted, and looked him in the eyes..

"That's all? You call me out here to talk about monsters? I thought it would be something different..." she lowered her voice to quiet whisper, but kept it loud enough for him to still hear her words.

"Yang…"

"I mean, you call me out here alone, saying you have something important to tell me, a girl will get her hopes up, you know?"

A cough from behind her made Yang sigh. Couldn't they stay quiet? Didn't they see she was working?

"Xiao-long, I would appreciate if you kept your fantasies to yourself. If Jaune wants to share some knowledge with us, I for one would like to hear it."

Yang rolled her eyes. Leave it to Weiss to ruin the mood.

"Yeah Yang. Stop your flirting and let Jaune speak."

Yang shook her head. And now Ice Princess was corrupting her adorable little sister.

"Fine, fine. So, you heard the nerds over there Ladykiller. Speak up."

Jaune sighed, shaking his head.

"Ok, I just thought it would be good if you understood what makes Ghouls and Wraiths so different. But to explain that, I need to go over how Harrowed are created first."

He sat on one of the desks, considering something for a few moments.

"In order for Harrowed to appear, a person has to die surrounding by a lot of negativity. It can come from said person, or from those around them. It can even be from the place they died."

"The place? How does that even work?" Asked Weiss.

Jaune chuckled.

"No idea. But it was confirmed that Harrowed appear more often in places where some great tragedy struck, even years after it happened. Old battlefields, towns struck by plagues, and so on. Not everyone who dies in such place will turn into Harrowed, but there is much greater chance they will."

"If the amount of negativity in the moment of death is high enough, the bits of Aura remaining in the body will become corrupted. What kind of Harrowed will appear, depends largely on what condition the body is in. It's not one hundred percent accurate, but as a general rule, if it was damaged to the point it can't move anymore, it will turn into a Wraith, otherwise it will be a Ghoul. And that is where all the differences come from."

"Ghouls are basically a dead body. Corrupted Aura makes it retain basic consciousness, and something akin to survival instinct. We know Ghouls will hunt regularly, and weaken greatly if left to starve, but we are unsure if they can die from starvation. Wraiths on the other hand, are basically sentient Aura. They do not have physical bodies, instead they gatherer Aura from their surroundings in order to take a more material form. There is a legend, among some folks, that if a Wraith gathered enough Aura, it would come back to life. It's untrue, of course."

"What you should keep in mind, is that even if you kill a Wraiths body, it's not gone. Its… I guess you could call it 'essence' will remain, allowing it to reform. It could take weeks, months, or even years, but it will be back eventually. In order to get rid of it for good, you need to purge their essence. There are two methods. Witchers use a special Dust mix, and burn it at the place Wraith spawns, or use black sword to kill it." He smiled, patting his own, lying in next to him. "The second method is prefered one, since with the first one you can never know for sure if you succeeded. "

"Question!" Nora shouted, raising one hand.

"Yes?"

"If those black swords are so convenient, why doesn't everyone use them? I know you said they are expensive, and hard to make, but still they sound useful. And when I asked one guy back at camp, he said, and I quote, 'I don't want to carry a thing that devours my soul'."

"Devour your soul?' Weiss repeated, and scoffed. " Please, Nora, he was cleary playing with you. Right, Jaune?"

The blond laughed nervously.

Weiss' eyes narrowed.

"Jaune? Explain."

"Well…" he ran a hand through his hair. "That statement is… not _entirely_ inaccurate?

"Why did you phrase that as a question?" Weiss growled, then sighed and shook her head.

"Nevermind. Just stop dodging the question, and tell us already."

"Ok, just don't freak out too much ok? You remember when I said that those swords are very Aura sensitive?" He waited for them to confirm before continuing. "So the thing is, they are so sensitive that just carrying them around will drain your Aura. Not by much, but it's there."

"But that's not all, right?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah" Jaune sighed, and drew Eclipse. "Another thing is that if you put enough Aura into it…' the sword in him his hand started humming, black mist flowing out of the blade. "Some interesting things start to happen."

They watched in fascination as the sword changed. Some of the black mist settled on Jaune's arm, but most of it was surrounded by a soft, white light and compressed. A few seconds later, the transformation was complete. Eclipse's blade was pitch black, as if it absorbed all light, And it didn't look like a solid piece of steel - instead it swirled around, like smoke trapped in a container.

That container appeared to be a soft glow surrounding blade.

"Well…" Yang trailed off "At least now we know why you called it 'Eclipse'."

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. And just to make it even more fitting - the day I finished it, there was a solar eclipse." Jaune said, slowly waving his sword around. "Anyway, this white glow you see is actually my Aura. In this form, the sword can get into reaction with any other Aura source. This allows me, for example, to drain the corrupted Aura of a Harrowed, or Ghoul, and absorb it. After some time, depending on how much I absorbed, my own Aura will… cleanse the corrupted one."

"Wait, wait, wait" Yang shook her head. "You want to tell me, this thing," she pointed at sword Jaune was holding. "Can literally drain out, and absorb Aura? The thing that is basically our soul?"

"Yep."

"That's... creepy as hell, you know that?"

Jaune chuckled.

"That's the same thing I said to Leon when he explained it to me. But it's also best way to deal with Harrowed, so, yeah. And as added benefit, it increases my Aura pool."

Yang blinked, then shook her head.

"Really? Is it why you have so much of it?"

"Only partially. It's not like I gain a lot. Ghouls have next to no Aura in them. Wraiths have more, but I can't absorb all of it, most of it gets dispersed. Plus, I have to use my own Aura to cleanse the corrupted one, so it's bad idea to absorb a lot. All in all, after two years of hunting Harrowed, what I gained is barley noticeable. So no, it's not some super-secret, dark way of gaining ultimate power."

"Awwwww, and I got my hopes up." Nora whined, before perking up. "But If one killed tons of baddies then…"

"Well, you could, but there are downsides to absorbing Aura from Harrowed. Besides the fact you will be weakened until you cleanse what you absorbed, you also absorb Harrowed essence. So the very thing that turned the dying person into a monster."

"You mean…" Pyrrha began slowly.

"Fear. Pain. Hatred. Sometimes other things, like loneliness. Very rarely, fragments of memories from the time they lived."

"Ok, I changed my mind. It's not creepy. It's super creepy." Yang said after a few moments of silence.

"So is this how you made the Ghouls turn back to humans so fast? Your books said it can take hours, or even days, but after you stabbed them, it took only few seconds." Asked Ruby.

"That's right. It's not necessary, but…" Jaune shrugged. "I like to think that it brings them some kind of peace. That they don't have to be monsters for any longer. A bit lame, I know, but..."

"No, I think It's cool." The red Huntress said with a smile. "Especially the chant you were saying!"

Jaune laughed.

"Really? Well I came up with it like a year and a half ago. Me and Leon hunted down a Ghoul, a young one, it still looked mostly human. When we did get it… well,I just felt like I should say something."

"Ok!" Yang clapped her hands, standing up. "No more gloomy talk. It's Sunday! Let's go do something fun!"

"Like, for example, our homework? I'm pretty sure you still have some left." Weiss called out.

Yang hummed, and nodded to herself.

"Ok, so let's get back to gloomy talk. It sounds much more fun than the alternative."

Jaune smiled, watching the two girls banter. Eventually Yang gave up, and both teams left the classroom. The blond team leader smiled. He hadn't planned on revealing details about the black swords to his friends just yet, but they took it better than he expected.

His eyes focused on one person in particular. Now, should he do something, or leave it be? Did he even needed to do anything?

The ringing of his scroll broke him out of his thoughts.

"Something happen?" Asked Pyrrha, a hint of worry in her voice. Jaune didn't blame her. Considering most of the messages and calls he received in the past few weeks ended up getting him in trouble, he even felt a bit of worry when he opened his scroll.

He frowned when he noticed the sender was one of his sisters. With resigned sigh, he opened the message.

It contained only two words, but it was enough to bring broad smile on his lips.

* * *

 **So here it is. A bit more info about Harrowed, and about the black swords some Witchers use. And what is this mysterious message Jaune received? Could it be good news? Certainly it's not more trouble?**

 **Well, you all will find out next week.**

* * *

 **Feeling the Rainbow**

He was vaguely aware of the nagging thought that you couldn't actually _feel_ colors, but it was quickly quieted by just how amazing the purple on the scarf in front of him felt.

It felt like a silk...but more...silky.

Apparently, what his new Elixir did not do was make him a poet. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. What was it supposed to do again? Something about Harrowed…

Really, it didn't matter. He had purple, and that's what mattered. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, caressing the color with his eyes and hands. Minutes? Hours? Days? It didn't matter, he had pur-

"Um, can I help you, or do I need to call security?" A feminine voice called from behind him.

He growled as he turned, ready to give this interloper a piece of his mind. Didn't she understand how special purple was? How Important it was? Didn't she know that purple-

-Was bullshit compared to the vision that greeted him. Brown. So much impossibly warm and beautiful brown, calling to him and soothing his soul.

The girl wearing it was ok too he guessed.

"Wow." He mouthed in awe.

She hummed as she looked at him over her glasses. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. Now, I ask again, do you need help, or should I leave you and the scarf alone? Just know that you're paying for it if you get past second base."

How could she think he'd cheat on brown with that dirty, filthy purple? Brown was so perfect. They were meant to be together. He slowly reached out a hand to touch the majestic brown that she swatted away.

"Yeah, calling security is started to look real good."

Maybe he just hadn't explained it properly.

"Brown..." He articulated.

She sighed. "It's Coco actually."

He gasped, it was too perfect. "Your name is a color!"

She cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, all of our names are."

"My name is a color?" He whispered, staring at his hands in wonder.

"You ok kid?"

He shook his head frantically. How could he be? He wasn't able to touch brown. He pointed dumbly to her blouse.

"It's so beautiful!"

She gave him a small smile, pinching at the material. "Yeah? This old thing? I've always liked it, but I'm honestly surprised you noticed. Most guys aren't too concerned with the clothes a girl has on, they're focused on what she's left off, if you catch my drift."

He wasn't too sure about drifts, unless it involved driftwood, which was also brown his brain told him. He was sure of one thing though, if those boys couldn't appreciate the glory that was brown, then…

"They're dumb." He stated confidently.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I think so too." She smirked. "You're not so bad blondie. Weird...but not bad."

Good, the keeper of the brown approved of him.

"Can I touch it?" He pleaded, his hand already reaching out again, before she caught his wrist.

Nooooooo!

"Let's call that a third date type thing, yeah?"

He groaned, and she laughed.

"I get off a seven, want to try you luck at getting the first one out of the way?"

Yes! He'd do anything to be near brown.

The girl was ok too he guessed.

"Yes!" He cried.

She grinned and looked at him over her glasses. "My, my, aren't we eager? How does coffee sound?"

Coffee? His brain was telling him something about coffee.

"Is coffee brown?" He asked slowly.

"Umm….it can be?"

He grinned. "Coffee sounds wonderful!"

* * *

 **Stoned Jaune strikes again. This omake was brought to you by JJD.**


	29. Hello Again

**Here comes ch 28.**

* * *

Jaune tapped on his desk, annoyed. Why couldn't this class end already? He had places to be.

With a quiet sigh, he glanced at clock mounted just above blackboard. Damn thing was mocking him, its pointers moving at least three times slower than they should.

 _Just a little bit more…_

Seconds dragged on endlessly, as Jaune tried to will time to flow faster. Just thirty seconds more…

Twenty…

Ten…

Jaune was on his feet the moment bell sounded. Finally, classes for the day were over! He didn't have supplementary lessons with Oobleck today either, and while he probably should explain a few more things about Wraiths to his friends, they should be fine if he postponed it a little, right?

Of course they would. Now he was free, and nothing would…

"All first year team leaders, please stay behind." Dr Oobleck called out.

...stop him.

Jaune cursed, his eyes darting towards the door. What would happen if he pretended he hadn't heard his teacher? It probably wasn't anything too important anyway, he could always ask Ruby what it was about later, right?

"Come closer, everyone, don't be shy. You too, Mr. Arc, and hurry up, let's not waste our time."

Well, that last statement was something Jaune could get behind at least. With a heavy sigh, and one last longing glance towards the door, he moved closer to Dr. Oobleck's desk, standing next to Ruby, and as far away from Cardin as possible. It had been a while since anyone from team CRDL tried to bully him, but he still prefered to not get too close to them.

"I'll keep it brief." Oobleck began when they all gathered.

 _Sounds good to me._ Thought Jaune.

"After analyzing the performance of all first year teams so far, we've come to conclusion that while most of you are very skilled individually, most teams lack in terms of… well _teamwork._ "

Jaune nodded. He couldn't help but agree - most group exercises they had done so far ended up with everyone doing their own thing, hoping for the best. Not many teams showed anything even remotely resembling team tactics.

"That's why we decided to introduce supplementary lessons for team tactics and leadership."

More lessons? Well, at least they would be about something important. And since it's just a supplementary course, it's not like they had to attend them, right?

"These lessons will be mandatory for all team leaders, and they will affect your end of semester grades."

 _Well, crap._ Judging by the several groans, he wasn't only one not too thrilled about the additional workload.

 _Oh well, at least I'll learn something useful._ Jaune smiled a little. _Leon always said I'm good leader material._

"So… when do those lessons start?" Someone asked.

Oobleck fixed his glasses.

"Right now. Take your seats."

Jaune froze.

 _If I run really fast, maybe I can make it to the door before he stops me?_

Ruby tugged his sleeve and shot him a smile.

"Come on Jaune. I know you are in a hurry, but I'm sure it won't take too long."

With a heavy sigh blond hunter allowed his friend to pull him towards a seat. She was right. It was only five p.m. He would have plenty of time to do what he needed after this lesson.

* * *

Jaune sighed.

He was feeling very conflicted.

On one hand, fate seemed to be determined to keep him at Beacon today. First this new class with Oobleck, then Ruby dragged him to the armory, and after that he had to do some leftover homework for tomorrow. By the time he was done, it was well past nine p.m. - far too late to do what he had planned.

On the other hand, it was a rather productive day. He did good in Group Tactics class, and this little project he and Ruby had started was looking very promising.

 _Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day._

"So, you wanted to ask something?" He spoke up. Both teams were gathered in JNPR's dorm room for some late night studying. Judging by the amount of snacks Ruby and Yang brought, Jaune somehow suspected there would be little studying, and a lot of parting.

At least as much as the teachers allowed.

"Yeah, its about Harrowed." Said Ruby. "In those books you gave us, they mentioned there are three classes of Harrowed. But there is little information on these… Aberrations? I was just wondering if you could tell us some more about them."

Jaune hummed. Well, that was a good question.

"I see." He paused for a moment, considering his answer.

"So, you guys know what the main difference between Wraith and Ghoul, right?"

"Ghouls are an animated dead body, that moves thanks to a limited amount of corrupted Aura left in them. Wraiths are made solely out of corrupted Aura, and they do not have physical bodies. This makes them…"

"Ok, Weiss that is enough. "Jaune said with a smile, ignoring the annoyed huff from the heiress." As Weiss said, there is a clear difference between a Ghoul and a Wraith. This is also represented in how you fight them. While there are differences between individual cases, every Ghoul will act in a similar way - try to ambush you, if that doesn't work, try to charge at you and tackle you down, and so on. Wraiths will generally stick close to the place they died, and every Wraith has a similar set of special abilities. Aberrations however, are different. They share traits with the two other categories. You can meet one that is big and bulky, but for example can breath fire. Or another that is more ghost-like, but doesn't have any special abilities. There is no universal rules to fighting one, you have to adapt."

"What's interesting is that there is no confirmed appearance of two identical Aberrations. Every single one encountered behaved, and looked, differently. Some of them more than others, but still there were differences. What's even worse is that, without Aura vision, it's hard to tell for sure if you killed one for good or not."

"There are some that can control objects, people, or even Grimm like puppets. There are some that can produce copies of themselves. There are records of ones that went through multiple stages of evolution, like some kind of insects. I've even heard of instances where they started colonies, similar to ants or bees. There really is no rhyme or reason to an Aberration."

"So… they can basically be anything?" Asked Yang.

Jaune sighed.

"Yeah. Any Harrowed that doesn't fit into any of the other categories is called an Aberration. Any other questions?

"Could you tell us more about Wraiths and their abilities? You mentioned earlier that their attacks are telegraphed, and from what I saw yesterday, it seems to be true." Said Ren.

"Well, yeah. While there might be some variations, most Wraiths have a few special abilities. Like I already mentioned, they can absorb Aura from their surroundings, they can dash short distances, and turn incorporeal. On top of that, every Wraith has the ability to attack a wide area around them, usually around ten to fifteen meters. They have also have a sort of lock-on attack, that will follow you even if you try to run. And of course there is their rage attack. It's always either a scream, or a very bright flash. Sometime a mix of both. After they use it, you definitely want to end the fight as fast as possible."

"Why?"

"Well… Wraiths use Aura for their special attacks. And since they are made out of it, they usually are pretty conservative in using their abilities. But after their rage attack, they're going berserk, and just spam them all the time, usually with more power too. So it's dangerous to drag it out, and if a Wraith uses up too much of its Aura, it will disappear, and reform later."

"I see…" Weiss nodded, putting her pen down and looking over the notepad she held.

 _Wait, she was taking notes?_

Jaune shook his head. What was he expecting? It was Weiss afterall.

"Ok, now that lesson time is over, let's get to the real stuff." Yang broke into a grin and threw a can of soda towards blond hunter.

"So, Ladykiller, have some exciting stories from your travels? Or dirty ones?"

"Yang!" Ruby whined.

"Well…" Jaune hummed. "I guess? But I have to warn you, I'm not a good storyteller."

Yang snorted.

"You can't be worse than Peter. Go ahead Ladykiller, hit us with something."

"Ok. So, did I ever tell you guys how I unlocked my Aura? No? Ok, so me and Leon were traveling through Mistral…"

* * *

Jaune felt conflicted. And isn't that something he felt far too often lately? Tuesday went well, nothing crazy happening in the school. His supplementary lesson with Oobleck ended earlier, and prof... He meant doctor mentioned that if Jaune did well on the next test, there would be no need to continue them.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jaune went straight towards Beacon's air docks. His friends caught him there, and they departed to Vale together.

Only to be grabbed by the police as soon as they left the bullhead.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting in Vale's Police Department main building, waiting for… something.

"So.. did you murder someone recently?" Asked Yang with a smirk, though it was a bit forced. Overall they all looked a bit spooked.

 _It's almost as if it's first time they've been brought to police station._ Jaune thought, looking over his friends.

"No one who wasn't dead already." He answered with a shrug.

There were a few moments of tense silence.

Jaune sighed.

"It was a joke."

Yang groaned.

"Your sense of humor is terrible. Though I should have guessed, after those stories you told us yesterday."

"What? I warned you I'm not a good storyteller!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha interjected, with the kind of patient smile that a mother might have when explaining something to a child. "I think it's more about what those stories were about, than how you told them…"

Seeing his confused expression, the red haired champion sighed and shook her head.

"Every story you told us had you almost dying, or getting in some very serious trouble."

"Yeah! You shouldn't tell stuff like that at party! You should tell funny ones, or dirty ones, or for lack of anything better inspirational ones!" Yang exclaimed pointing finger at him.

"But I don't have any..."

"If you wanted to tell me that you had no dirty or funny stories, don't waste your breath, I won't believe it. And even if it were the truth - you should just come up with some!"

Jaune smiled. It looked like this little bit of banter helped his friends relax a little. Now, the only problem left was, why he was there? The police officers made it clear they were there for him, and wouldn't take no for answer, but seeing as there were no guns and handcuffs involved, it couldn't be about someone seeing him on the job and getting the wrong idea.

Besides, he hadn't done any jobs in the city for a long while. So what could it be?

His musings were interrupted by one of doors opening and someone who looked like a high ranking police officer walking out, looking over the gathered teens until his eyes meet Jaune's.

"Jaune Arc?"

The blond nodded, getting up.

"That's me."

"Please come inside."

Pyrrha got up, clearly intending to follow him, but he motioned for her to stay. This was definitely a business meeting, and so they wouldn't let someone not involved to get involved. Of course he would share what he was able to when he got out.

When the doors closed behind him, and Jaune took a moment to scan the room he was in. It was spacious, but sparsely decorated. The most prominent piece of furniture was a big, wooden desk, covered in neat piles of paperwork. The police officer who called for him took a seat behind the desk,and motioned for blonde to sit on one of chairs in front of it.

There were two more people in the room.

One, standing next to the police officer, and dressed in a black suit, was definitely a Company agent.

The second, sitting on a chair, and drinking from a hip-flask was a Hunter Jaune recognized as one of Leon acquaintances. What was his name again?

"Qrow, could you at least pretend you are taking this seriously?" Asked the man behind the desk

 _Ah, right. Drunken Hunter Qrow. How could I forget?_

Jaune scoffed. 'Be mean'? What kind of fighting advice was that?

"I am! Pretending that is." He sighed, and looked Jaune over. "Yo, kiddo. You are the one who was in Spring Valley, right?"

Jaune just nodded, taking his seat. The older Hunter looked him, his eyes narrowing.

"Wait, I know you from somewhere."

Jaune shot him smile.

"Was traveling with Leon for a few years. We ran into each other a few times."

"Oh, I remember now! How is the old wolf doing?"

"Pretty well, from what I know. He got himself a nice, cozy job somewhere in northern Atlas."

Qrow blinked and barked a laugh.

"Damn, he must have been thrilled about that."

"Gentlemen, if you've finished your reunion, can we focus on the matter at hand?"

Both Hunters nodded and turned their attention to the man behind the desk.

"My name is Dekar and I'm in charge of investigating the Spring Valley incident. First of all, I would like to thank you Mr. Arc for your help. I know it must have been hard to attend all those hearings, but the information you provided helped us greatly."

"I was glad to help. Is this why I was summoned? Is there anything more I can help with?"

Dekar smiled.

"It's good to see someone so young so eager to do right. And yes there is something you can help us with. It's small matter, but important nonetheless. You see, thanks to the information we gathered, we were able to track down person we believe was responsible for this tragedy. He was spotted in some small village on the border with Mistral over a week ago. A special team was formed to locate, and apprehend him, lead by Mr. Qrow Branwen here."

Jaune tensed. They found him? Why had no one told him! He should have been there, he knew this bastards tricks better than anyone, he could…

"The operation was successful, and suspect was apprehended. We found multiple pieces of evidence on his person, including a substance similar to the one used in Spring Valley, that confirms he was indeed the one responsible. He didn't revealed much in the initial investigation, but what he said was as good as a confession."

Jaune was staring at the man in front of him, barely registering his words.

They got him? For real?

So it was… over?

Just like that?

"There are some formalities that need to be taken care of, but we want to begin the process as soon as possible. And this is why we contacted you, Mr. Arc. Out of all the Hunters that survived Spring valley, you are only one that we could contact. We know you might not want to have anything to do with it anymore, and your presence is not really necessary, but..."

"Ok."

Dekar blinked, surprised.

"You want me to testify against him, right?"

The older man nodded slowly. He looked like he was unsure what to say.

"Yes. That too. But there is one more matter. It's rather delicate and unusual situation. Normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but give the situation..."

"What is it?"

"He wants to talk to you. Said he wouldn't talk with anyone else." Qrow explained.

Jaune blinked. This monster… Wanted to talk with him? Jaune chuckled, and shook his head.

"He wants to… talk?" Another chuckle, this one much more desperate. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then another one, when first didn't help. And then a third one.

"Well, ok." He said, when he finally felt like he wouldn't try to snap the bastard's neck as soon as he saw him.

"Let's get this over with. I have places to be."

* * *

Jaune was… he honestly didn't know what he felt anymore. Multiple emotions whirled around inside of him, each fighting for dominance, but no single one capable of overpowering the others. It left him in a state of daze, where he wasn't sure what was going on anymore.

The interrogation was quick. The bastard confessed to everything, told them exactly how he did it, and why. He didn't look like he regretted a single thing - besides the fact his plan failed, that is. There were a lot of questions, and accusations. Jaune vaguely remembered asking a few himself, but it felt distant to him. Like it was some movie that was playing in the background, when he was focused on the only thing that really mattered.

His face.

He was young, very young. He looked a bit lost about what happened. As if he truly couldn't understand why everyone hated him so much.

And he was young. Too young.

Jaune still couldn't remember his face, but he was sure that the person who hurt Sam was older. And far more confident.

He remembered that after they were done, Dekar took him to a separate room, and asked him some questions. Jaune was almost certain he answered them. He also remembered Yang and Ruby being excited to see Qrow. Turns out he was their uncle or something.

But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that person locked away in a cell, and awaiting processing, was not Master.

It was not over.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to look at his partner.

"I'm fine." He said, with a steady voice that surprised even himself. "I'm fine." He repeated.

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. He wasn't fine, and they both knew it. But he would be.

Jaune slapped his cheeks, and shook his head. This was no time to be gloomy. He looked up at the grey building of Vale Main Hospital and a small smile crept up on his face.

To hell with Master. He had better things to do right now.

The nurse at the reception desk pointed him to the right room. It still took awhile to find it, the place was just that big. Or it might have been because he was too excited and missed the right turn once or ten times? Who knows.

Anyway, when they finally got there, and stopped Yang's teasing, it was to find his parents at the door. After a brief conversation, Jaune took deep breath and entered the room.

"You're late." Were the first words that greeted him.

He smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I am. But I think you should be used to it by now."

Samantha Birger snorted.

"I guess I am." She looked him over, a small smile on her lips.

"You somehow look less dorky than usual. I guess there is still some hope for…" she paused when he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly.

"Sam…" he choked out.

"And here goes your image." She joked. And her voice definitely didn't choke there.

"I'm…" he paused, took a deep breath, and hugged her even tighter. "I'm glad you're back."

She hugged him back, deciding to not comment on the wetness she felt where his head pressed on her dress.

"Yeah…"she leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling softly. "Me too."

* * *

It was a nice day. Sunny and warm, despite the quickly approaching winter. He still managed to gather a few fresh herbs - probably the last batch before colder days came.

He carefully measured the right amount of powder from box he was holding. Some might not understand how important precision was in these kind of things. .

Making a good team was, after all an art.

"Here you are." He said setting one cup in front of his guest. It was surprising, but not unwelcome to get visitor here. It was clear he was sought out, and there were only a few reasons for someone to look for him.

"Thank you." His guest looked pleasantly surprised by the drink they were offered. He smiled. It was nice to see someone appreciate good tea.

Not many people did this days.

They spent a few moments on idle chat, nothing important. Eventually, as much as he enjoyed it, he decided to cut to the point.

"As much as I would love to continue our chat, I doubt you came all the way here to entertain this old man. What do you want, child?"

His guest smiled.

"My… associate is looking for talented people for a certain project, and would love to meet you in person. She is certain you could help each other out."

"Oh? And how little old me could help this associate of yours?"

"No need to be humble. After All, your expertise in usage of herbs and Dust is well know in certain circles… Master."

He laughed.

"Please, don't call me that. I always feel embarrassed when people use that nickname, as if I'm someone standing above them."

"Then how would you like to be addressed?"

He hummed. That was a good question, wasn't it? He could give his birth name, but… it was decades since he used it last. It would feel wrong. Then he recalled a fond memory of his latest student, and how he sometimes called him.

"I guess you can call me Alchemist."

His guest nodded.

"Very well. As I said, my associate would love to meet you. Of course we have transportation prepared. If you would like to…"

"Ok, let's go."

She blinked, surprised. He laughed.

"Now, what's with that look? Winter is coming, and I'm getting on in. I'm sure wherever your associate lives, it will be warmer than this old hut there. Plus, I wouldn't say no to some company. Brothers know I was stuck all by my lonesome for far too long." He got up, and quickly gathered what little belongings he had.

"Now let's move out! Lead the way, Miss…?"

"Emerald." His guest said, opening the door. "Emerald Sasturi."

* * *

 **Well, I guess Jaune will have a chance to meet Master, probably sooner than he would like to. But hey, at least Sam is back! How will she affect Jaune's life from now on? Only one way to find out.**

 **In the other news - TPA passed 1k favs this week. I… I honestly don't know what to say. When I started this story, I thought that having more than hundred favs would be cool. Not even in my wildest dreams I expected to reach ten times that. So thank you all, it means a lot to me.**

 **Also, I started at cr00cy (without spaces of course). I will not stop writing if there will be no donations, or anything crazy like that, so don't worry. But if you have spare dollar or two, it would mean a lot if you decided to pledge.**


	30. Staking Your Claim

**Welcome to ch 29 of TPA.**

* * *

Time ceased to exist. Or at least, Jaune felt that way. In fact, if the whole world suddenly disappeared, and this one, small hospital room was all that left, he wouldn't have noticed - and probably wouldn't have cared either.

No, even this room was not important. All that mattered was the girl in his arms. Her warmth, her breathing, the scent of her favorite shampoo. Jaune held her tightly, emotions whirling inside him. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but words just wouldn't leave his clenched throat.

She pulled away from him a little, just enough to look him in the eyes. Green meet blue, and Jaune smiled.

Words? Who needed them? Certainly not them. Anything they wanted to convey to each other, they could do with just a glance.

Jaune squeezed her shoulders just a bit tighter.

 _I'm sorry I was late._

Sam smiled.

 _It's ok. I'm sorry I got you worried._

He chuckled, his hand moving to push a stray lock of hair out of her face.

 _It's ok. Just don't do it again._

It met hers halfway through. She took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

 _I won't. But only if you don't leave me._

He squeezed back.

 _I won't._

She moved they hands up, placing them on her cheek.

 _Promise?_

He smiled, his forehead touching hers.

 _Promise._

She smiled back, closing her eyes, just enjoying the moment. He was so close, and held her so tightly. It was perfect, nothing could…

"So, you gonna kiss already, or what?" A very annoying, and very familiar voice sounded.

Sam sighed at the same time as Jaune. They looked each other in the eyes, and giggled.

"Seriously, just do it already. I can leave and guard the doors. How much time you need? Ten minutes? Twenty?"

"Crystal. It's nice to see you again." Sam said, with a small smile.

The oldest of the Arc siblings grinned and closed her scroll.

"You too, Sammy." Crystal walked towards the younger girl and hugged her briefly.

"We all missed you." She pulled back, fixing Sam's hair.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm a bit dizzy, and it's hard to move around. Doctors said they should be able to sign me out tomorrow, unless something unexpected happens."

"That's great. Will you be coming back home? Or stop by Hunter's Rest?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"You're asking as if I had any choice in the matter. Mei called two hours ago and made it clear she _will_ kidnap me if my parents don't bring me there."

Crystal chuckled, shaking her head.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, I would love to stay and talk more, but I gotta go. See ya later Sammy. Oh, and don't try anything funny, Jaune's friends are still outside."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot." Jaune smiled. "My friends from Beacon came with me. You have to meet them. They are amazing people. I'm sure you will…" He was interrupted when the doors opened and a middle aged woman in a white coat walked into the room. She looked over the people in the room, and fixed her glasses.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." She said, with a tone suggesting wasn't really. "But I need to perform some check ups on Miss Samantha. Besides, visiting hours are already over."

Jaune slumped, and shot a pleading look towards the younger girl. Samantha just sighed.

"Just go. We can talk more tomorrow. Besides. " She yawned theatrically. " I'm getting tired."

"Oh…" Jaune looked lost for a moment, but eventually got up. "So… when will they sign you out? I could come over and…"

"I don't know."

"So…"

"Just go already."

Jaune hanged his head low, muttered a goodbye and left. Crystal watched him go, then smirked.

"That was pretty mean, Sammy. I wonder if I should show him something nice to cheer him up."

Sam tensed.

"Something nice?"

Crystal nodded.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe this recording of you calling his name in your sleep. With this goofy grin on your face…"

Sam stared at the older woman for a few moments. Then sighed.

"What do you want?"

Crystal blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"What do I..." she said pointing to herself, "...give you..." she pointed at Crystal, "...so that you delete that video."

"I'm afraid you have nothing valuable enough to offer, my dear. But if it's just to prevent me from showing it to him, I think we can come to an arrangement." She said with a wink.

Samantha just sighed again. She had a feeling the price would be high, but what choice did she have? That recording could never see the light of day.

The only silver lining was that Crystal couldn't read minds, and thus didn't know what Sam was dreaming about back then.

* * *

Sam fixed her dress for the hundredth time. It was simple, white, and reached just below her knees. Was it a good choice? It didn't make her look like a kid, right? She sighed, and glanced at one of the many windows in Hunter's Rest main room. She could just barely make her reflection out - dark red hair, worn tied in a single ponytail. She didn't wear any accessories besides a necklace made of green stone that a certain blond brought her from Mistral. She didn't have any makeup - not like she needed it.

And fact that a certain dork-knight once said he didn't like girls who put on too much makeup certainly had nothing to do with it.

Sam sighed, and fixed her dress for the one hundredth and first time, once again wondering if it was a good choice. Was it too formal? Maybe she should get changed? Then again, Jaune would be bringing his friends with him. She had to make a good impression! No way in hell she would let it be a repeat of Atlas.

She sighed, and attempted to fix her dress again, but the voices from outside stopped her.

The doors opened, and eight people entered the Hunter's Rest. Sam's first thought was 'oh, he's on time for once'.

Her second one was 'why are there so many girls with him?!' Seriously, what was that about? He was surrounded by six, _six_ gorgeous girls! All of them beautiful and mature, expect for the short one that looked a lot like Rubin, and they were all so close to him!

Sam took a deep breath and put on her best smile. It wouldn't do to be mean to Jaune's friends. Afterall, just because they were girls didn't mean they were after him!

Her eyes scanned the group approaching her table once again, until they stopped on another familiar figure. Her smile instantly became a bit more relaxed. She tried to get up and greet them properly, but didn't get the chance.

Weiss Schnee walked up to her as quickly as she could without actually running, and hugged her lightly.

"It's good to see you again, Sam."

The younger girl hesitated for a moment, and then returned the hug.

"You too, Mi.." White haired girl's grip tightened a bit.

"Weiss." Sam amended quickly. They pulled back, Weiss sitting in the chair to her left.

"Ok, I think I need some context for this one." Samantha looked up at the speaker, and instantly felt worse. The girl was beautiful. Long, blonde hair make her look like one of Jaune sisters. She was currently holding _her_ Jaune in a headlock, with his head very close to her…assets.

Sam narrowed her eyes. This one was a threat, that was for sure.

"Yang, stop strangling Jaune." The shorter girl whined.

 _Ok, that one is a potential ally._

"Ok, so, everyone, this is my childhood friend, Samantha Birger. Sam, these are my friends from Beacon. This is Ruby, leader of team RWBY"

He said, pointing at short, dark haired girl who waved with a broad smile. Sam waved back.

"Her sister, and master of terrible puns, Yang."

"They're not bad, they're great, and you know it. You're just jealous." Said the blonde bombshell, turning towards the younger girl. "Hi there. Jaune couldn't stop talking about you." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you have plenty of interesting stories about him, huh?"

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Yang looked like big tease. Not the type of girl Jaune would take interest in.

"One or two." She said aloud, nodding politely.

"And finally, Blake." he said pointing towards the black haired girl. She just nodded in greeting, which Sam returned. This one…might be tricky. She looked like the cool, collected type. Jaune could act like a dork sometimes… well, most of the time. There was a good chance she wouldn't be interested in someone like that.

 _Better to keep an eye on her…_

"And now my team. Lie Ren, and his childhood friend Nora Valkyrie." Sam nodded with a smile. This Nora girl, she was _definitely_ an ally.

"And last but not least, my partner, Pyrrha Nikos." The red haired girl waved at her happily, a friendly smile on her lips.

Sam waved back, and did her best to smile back. What the hell was _Pyrrha freaking Nikos_ was doing in Vale? Why wasn't she studying in Mistral? They had a Hunter academy there too.

Sam eyed the older woman and winced. They both had red hair and green eyes, but the older girl was just… _more._ Longer, more red hair, eyes a deeper shade, and other…

Sam spared a brief glance at her chest.

…assets. It was like looking at an older, more mature and more beautiful version of herself.

 _Doesn't matter. I won't lose._ She thought.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Please, sit down."

"Ok, so, I really need to know. How you and Ice Princess here know each other? I've never, _ever,_ seen her hug someone like that."

Both Weiss and Sam blushed slightly. Jaune laughed.

"It's a funny story actually."

"Jaune, don't." Sam growled.

"You see, Sam was always a big fan of Weiss, when she was still singing."

"Oh?" Yang drawled, grinning.

"Yeah. So, when I was going to Atlas to gather Dust for Eclipse, I learned that Sam and her parents were there. So I figured, I'll ask Weiss if she wouldn't mind sparing a moment and meeting with my friend. She graciously agreed to grant her an audience."

"Jaune, stop." Weiss growled.

"So, I brought Sam to Weiss' place.." Jaune continued, seemingly obvious to the glares the two girls were sending him.

"Wait, you brought her to Schnee mansion? Just like that?" Asked Pyrrha, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Her father agreed? I heard he is…" she trailed off, shooting a wary glance towards Weiss.

Jaune sighed.

"I believe word you are looking for is 'an asshole'. And yes he is, but you are greatly overestimating his concern for his family, if you think he gives damn about what Weiss is doing, as long as it don't get in the way of his plans."

Everyone looked at Weiss, who just shrugged.

"Anyway, I bring Sam to Weiss room, and she is all excited to meet her idol…"

"I was not!" She shouted, then shot wary look at the girl next to her. "I mean, I was happy to meet you, but…"

"And Weiss is freaking out, because she has no idea how to talk with someone who isn't a Very Important Business Partner."

"I wasn't!" The heiress protested.

"So, we sit together, and this is like, the most awkward and stiff conversation ever. Like, it's so terrible that even Weiss' butler is trying to ease the atmosphere by telling some jokes. Spoiler alert - it didn't work." He laughed.

"So, I sit there, and there is this awkward silence, and I think to myself, if I don't do something, this will end terribly. So, I did only thing I could think of to fix it." Jaune signed, pausing for a moment.

"What did you do?" Yang asked, excited.

"I took out my guitar, and did my best cover of one of Weiss' songs."

"Wait, you can play? And sing?"

"No, he can't!" Weiss growled.

"This was horrible! It was musical murder!" Sam whined.

"It shouldn't even be possible to produce such terrible sounds!" Weiss lamented.

Jaune grinned.

"Of course, it was on purpose. I'm pretty good with guitar when I try." He ignored the snort from both girls. "But back on topic - my plan worked, and both of them relaxed."

"If by 'relaxed,' you mean 'worked together to kill you,' then yes, let's go with that." Said Weiss with a sigh. Then her eyebrows furrowed, before her eyes widened in realization. She glanced at Sam, who nodded. Both girls moved a bit closer to Jaune, muscle tensed.

"So, after a bit of tussle, we got back to talking, and this time it went much smoother. I think so anyway, because I had to leave."

"Why?" Asked Ruby.

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, and noticed Weiss and Sam glaring at him, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well… stuff happened."

"Stuff?" Ruby asked slowly.

"Stuff." Jaune confirmed.

The young Huntress stared at him for a moment, then looked at Sam, Weiss, and finally back to Jaune, who for some reason was starting to sweat.

"If you say so…" she said with shrug. It didn't sound too important anyway.

"Anyway, when I went back, the two of them acted like best friends." Jaune hummed. "They kinda reminded me of my sisters when they played together. It was kinda cute."

Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora smiled. Yang grinned.

"You have pictures?" She asked.

"No, he doesn't." Said Weiss, with a slight blush.

"Yes, I do." Jaune countered.

"HOW?!" Both Sam and Weiss shouted at the same time.

"We stopped you!" Weiss whined.

"We even broke your scroll!" Sam added.

Jaune raised a single eyebrow.

"Oh, so it _was_ you two afterall. Heh, good to know."

Weiss mumbled something very unladylike under her breath.

"A-anyway, how is Jaune doing at school? I hope he hasn't been too much of trouble?" Asked Sam quickly.

"Nah," Nora waved her hand. "Fearless leader is alright. Right, Renny?".

Sam blinked.

"Wait, he is your team leader?" Pyrrha, Ren and Nora nodded.

Sam sent them a sad smile.

"I'm, sorry. It must have been hard for you…"

"Hey!" Jaune protested, but went ignored.

"He isn't that bad…" Said Pyrrha.

"Thank you, partner!"

"When he isn't running off on dangerous missions alone, without telling us anything."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"It wasn't that bad…"

Sam glared at him.

"Let me guess. This was about the guy, right?" Jaune laughed again, rubbing the back of his head.

Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You idiot. Haven't you learned anything after Atlas?"

"Wait, what happened in Atlas?" Weiss asked, her eyes narrowed. "I know he was part of the team that was tracking that guy down, but he said he was in reserve."

"Well…" Jaune began, but stopped when Sam glared at him.

"This idiot." She said, pointing at the blond knight. "Went off on his own, and almost got himself killed."

All eyes zeroed in on Jaune, who raised his hands defensively.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad…"

"Oh really?" Sam shook her head. "Because your mom said you ended up in hospital with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, heavy burns, and a broken arm and leg."

"Jaune…" Weiss, Ruby, and Pyrrha growled at the same time.

The boy in question paled, and laughed nervously.

"Hey, it's all in the past. What was, and wasn't, doesn't matter, am I right? Oh look, food is coming!" He shouted out, desperately pointing at the kitchen doors.

Everyone turned - and gasped. Jaune smiled. Tob had that effect on people.

"Here you are, Hunter's Rest finest cuisine. "

Pyrrha looked at the mountain of a man, then the plate of food placed in front of her, then back at the man.

Thank you, Mr…?"

"Please, just call me Tob." He said with a wink.

"Oi, watch it you old bear. Mei will kick your ass if she will sees you flirt with younger girls. Plus, she is my partner, so hands off."

"Relax there laddie. And I think Mei would be much more interested in the fact you never mentioned that you are friends with six beautiful young girls." He winked at him. "You better watch out. I'm holding her back for now, but if she breaks free…" he shook his head. Jaune snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Like she would leave you alone in the kitchen." The older man laughed, and left.

* * *

Blake took a sip of her tea and smiled. It was delicious. She glanced at the rest of her friends, currently listening to one of Tob's stories. The old Hunter proved to be as eager to tell them as Profesor Port - though he was a much better storyteller.

Then again, that wasn't saying much.

She took another sip and smiled. The day had been an…interesting one. When Ruby announced they would be going outside of Vale to meet Jaune's childhood friend, she was skeptical, but it turned out to be a rather pleasant gathering. Samantha turned out to be a very polite girl, and, judging by her reaction to the obviously faunus owner of Hunter's Rest, not a racist.

After the initial introduction, they quickly started into easy conversation. The young girl's crush on Jaune become clear pretty fast, something that Yang was all too happy to exploit for her amusement.

Though, Blake had to admit that it was impressive how adamant Weiss, Jaune and Sam were about not revealing any embarrassing stories about each other.

The faunus girl hummed. It was surprising to find out the heiress knew Samantha already, but an even bigger one to find out they were pretty close. The younger girl obviously looked up to ex-singer, and her teammate didn't even bother to hide how much she cared about the red haired girl. If not for the different hair color, Blake would have thought they were sisters.

"Hey, Blake, you have a moment?"

She turned around and noticed Jaune standing there, shuffling nervously. She raised an eyebrow, and nodded.

"Could we move somewhere, umm, more private? I wanted to ask you something, but…" he trailed off.

Now she was curious. They usually didn't talk much, and Jaune struck her as someone rather shy when it came to interacting with other people, especially girls.

Which begged the question how he managed to befriend Weiss of all people, but she supposed it was a topic for another day.

Instead, she finished her tea and stood up. Jaune motioned for her to follow, and led her through the short corridor to a door leading to a small garden behind Hunter's Rest. She shivered when she stepped into the cold night. Winter was fast approaching, and nights weren't as warm as just a few weeks back.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked when they stopped.

"Well…" he began, rubbing the back of his head." The thing is… I mean…".

Blake rolled her eyes.

"Come on Jaune. Just say it, don't fumble like a teen confessing to a girl." He blushed, and Blake felt chill that had nothing to do with cold air. "This is not you confessing to me, right?"

"What? No!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank the Gods." It took her a second to realize that what she said was kinda rude. "I mean, it's not that there is something wrong with you, but…"

He smiled.

"I'm not your type?"

Blake shrugged.

"Yeah."

"I get it. And don't worry, I'm not confessing to you. It's just that I wanted to ask something that is almost definitely personal, but I'm not sure how much, and I don't want to offend you, and now I'm just babbling." He sighed. "This is so much easier with my sisters. Or Weiss." He muttered quietly.

Blake wasn't sure how to feel about fact that someone said Weiss Schnee was easier to talk to than her.

"Just ask. I promise I won't get offended. Probably." She added after a second of thought.

"Thanks, that really put my mind at ease." Jaune a took deep breath, and looked her straight in the eye.

"Why are you hiding the fact you're Faunus?"

Blake tensed. Her first thought was to run. Her second to draw her weapon. Her third to run anyway.

She took a deep breath, and let it go slowly.

 _Calm down. Just calm down._

It took her a few moments to relax. Jaune just watched her the whole time, not moving or saying anything.

"How did you…? She asked finally.

"Back when I took you on that job to exterminate Harrowed. You got affected by the Wraith's scream the most of all of us, despite the fact you covered your ears in time. After that, I just couldn't help but notice how your bow twitches from time to time."

Blake let out a tired sigh. It looked like cat was out of the bag. And now she was making puns. Great, Yang was rubbing off on her. This was bad.

But she was distracting herself. He had asked her a question, she probably should give him an answer.

Too bad that she wasn't sure what it was.

"Look, you don't have to tell me. But if it has something to do with Weiss, don't worry. I can guarantee that she doesn't hate faunus." He sighed, shaking his head.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do. I'm sure you have your reasons to hide it, and it's not like I don't have a few secrets on my own. Just let me tell you this - if you are afraid of racists, you can be sure we won't sit by and let anyone bully you. And if it's something else…" he sighed again. "I don't know. But if it's something serious - I think you should still at very least tell your team. It's better if they find out from you, when it's calm, than it hit them when something dangerous is going on. Big secrets have a habit of doing that."

"You would know something about it, I guess." She said when he paused. Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, let's go back inside. It's cold out here, and if we're missing too long, people might start getting ideas."

And wasn't that the truth? Blake could basically see Yang's shit eating grin.

They returned quickly, but they absence didn't go unnoticed. Thankfully, Yang was too busy talking with Sam about something to tease them. Judging by how much the young girl was blushing, and the occasional glances shot towards Jaune, Blake could guess what the talk was about.

She sighed, and glanced over her friends. She probably should tell them. Maybe not about her past as a part of the White Fang, just that she is Faunus.

Not tonight, but soon. Yeah. Definitely.

* * *

 _Ok, girl, get a grip. You can do it._

Sam took a deep breath, and sat next to a certain blond knight.

"Jaune…" so far so good.

"Yeah?"

Now onto step two.

"... nothing." She whispered.

Damn it.

Jaune looked at her for a few moments, then shrugged and went back to listening to Tob's story.

Samantha sighed. Yang advice was... risky. Scandalous even. But she had to admit it was probably the only way to go through Jaune's thick head. What should she do? She looked up and caught Yang's eyes. The older girl mouthed 'do it'.

She bit her lip. She knew what the blonde Huntress meant, but could she really do it? What if she scared him away?

Sam took a deep breath, and slowly, carefully leaned on Jaune.

"Sam?" The blond asked.

"I'm tired." She said quietly.

He just smiled and shifted, so that she could lean on him more comfortably.

"This brings back memories. We used to sit like that when we were younger all the time." He said.

Yes, they did. But it wasn't the same for her anymore, and she would make sure it wasn't the same for him too.

 _Ok girl, step one down. Now don't chicken out, and go for step two._

She mumbled something as answer, and took a deep breath to steady herself. This next part was tricky...

Minutes passed, and finally Tob's tale ended. Jaune smiled - he'd heard it many times, but somehow it never got old.

"Hey, Sam…" he paused when he noticed younger girl had her eyes closed, her breathing even. Jaune smiled, moving a stray lock of her hair out of her face. Then, he got up, carefully picking the sleeping girl up. Tob spared a single glance at them and nodded. Jaune nodded back, and started walking towards Sam's room. If he looked more carefully, he might have noticed Yang watching them carefully.

Or the small smirk on Sam's lips.

 _Step two - complete._

* * *

He knew the way to her room well. Jaune looked at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled. It was just like old times. They would sit near the fireplace, listening to Tob's tales and drinking tea. Sam would eventually fall asleep, and he would carry her to her room, before retiring to his own, and dreaming of doing all the things he'd just heard about on his own.

He pushed the doors open and walked inside. It was a small room, similar to his own. He carefully placed the girl on her bed. He removed her boots and socks, then he paused. Should he remove dress too?

He looked her over, suddenly noticing how much she'd changed since last time he saw her awake. She was a young lady now. A small smile appeared on his lips. Better to not push his luck.

He made to leave, but a hand grabbing his, stopping him.

"Don't leave me." He looked down. Green eyes stared into his, and there was… something in them that forced him to comply. He turned to pull himself chair, but Sam pulled him back.

"Sam, I just want to…" She pulled him again. He sighed and sat next to her, setting her onto his laps. She tensed, then relaxed.

Jaune chuckled, and started humming some melody, holding her close with one hand, and stroking her hair with the other. After a few moments, Sam's breath evened out, and Jaune stopped his humming. Instead, he just looked at her. Her face, lit by moonlight, looked so serene. So calm. And the way the light danced on her hair…

 _When did you grow into such a beautiful lady?_ He shook his head. Now, he probably should leave, but somehow, he didn't want to. After All, Sam wanted him to stay, right?

* * *

 _Crap, I feel asleep!_

Samantha cursed internally. It was going so well, and then Jaune had to use his dork magic to make her so comfortable and relaxed that she fallen asleep without even realizing it. Damn it all, and it was going so… well.

It was about then when she realized something was wrong. She wasn't lying, rather sitting. She was covered by a blanket, but her head wasn't resting on a soft pillow, rather on something harder. And warmer. And this something was rising rhythmically, and there was this sound she could hear…

She slowly looked up, only to see Jaune's face only millimeters away from her own.

 _Ok, first things first. Breath girl, just breath._

She started to do just that.

 _Good, now say clam. You fallen asleep in Jaune's arms. No big deal, you've done it before._

Except, apparently, it was a big deal, if the way her heart hammered in her chest was any indication.

She swallowed. He was so close. His face was so close. His lips…

She licked her own. So close… if she only moved a little…

His eyes opened, and Sam had to fight to not whine. Her chance was gone.

"Sam…?" He whispered, apparently still half asleep.

"Yeah…" she whispered back.

He stared at her.

She started back.

He leaned a bit towards her.

Her eyes drifted shut, while her lips parted.

The sound of a photo being taken might as well been an explosion. Both Jaune and Sam turned towards source of the sound, only to see several people standing in the door.

"Now, now, now, aren't we bold, huh?" Yang asked, an epic grin on her face, and scroll in hand.

"Please, don't let me get in your way. By all means, do continue."

* * *

 **So, Sam is back, and she is gonan fight for her knight. There is no stopping her now!**

 **Not much to say here, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on my at Cr00cy.**


	31. The Professional

**Welcome to ch 30 of TPA.**

* * *

Yang grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.

Ruby peeked in, curious what was happening.

Pyrrha was smiling lightly.

Weiss raised a single eyebrow, an amused smirk on her face.

Sam stared at them all, doing her best impression of a deer caught in headlights.

Jaune blinked, yawned, then blinked again a few more times, only now fully waking up. He looked over the small crowd in the doors and raised an eyebrow.

"You guys know it's rude to just barge into someone else room like that, right? Especially without knocking."

"We did knock." Yang said, lowering her scroll. "But no one answered, and we got curious, because you know, Nora said you're a very light sleeper, and you usually wake up very early. But here we are, at almost seven, and you are nowhere to be seen." Her grin widened even further. "And when we go to pick you up - it turns out you're not in your room. Instead, we find you sharing a bed with your... _childhood friend,_ with whom you just reunited."

Sam blushed fiercely and buried her face in Jaune's chest. The blond boy chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Yeah, so what? You never slept together with Ruby?"

Yang shook her head.

"Sure I did, but we're sisters. It's different"

Jaune shrugged.

"Really?" He looked down at the girl he still held in his arms. "I mean… Sam is like little sister to me, so I don't see what the problem is."

Said girl stiffened.

"Like… a sister? I'm like a sister to you?" She whispered quietly.

"Well, yeah. Don't you remember that one time when we mistook wine for my mom's strawberry juice and got a little bit drunk? You said you would like to be part of my family, and I said you can be if you want. So… Sam?"

The red haired girl stared at him with a blank expression for a few moments,then sighed.

"What did I even expect…" she muttered.

"Wha.."

"Weiss?" She said, turning around to the white haired girl. "Would you mind helping me get to the kitchen? My legs are still weak."

"Of course." Both girls soon left the room. Jaune just stared in their direction.

"What's gotten into her?" He asked no one in particular.

Yang chuckled.

"Damn. You really are as dense as brick."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind that." The blonde brawler turned around. "Anyway, we came to tell you breakfast is almost ready. "

Jaune nodded, and got up stretching. A quick shower and a change of clothes later, he was ready to begin another day.

Now, if only he knew what the hell was wrong with Sam, it would be great.

* * *

Samantha stared at her distorted reflection in cup of tea. Why was she so upset anyway? It was Jaune afterall.

It couldn't be that easy.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled, looking up at girl sitting next to her.

"Yes, thank you for asking." she sighed, and took sip of her drink.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected."

"That he will finally notice how you truly feel about him?" Weiss asked with a small smile.

Samantha chuckled.

"I guess. I think I was just so happy to see him again, and after everything that happened…" she shook her head. "I'm better now. And don't think I'm giving up. I'll just have to try harder."

"Maybe you shouldn't."

Samantha gasped, staring at older girl as if she just slapped her. Weiss remained silent, staring into her own cup as if it held all answers she needed.

"I'm not suggesting you should give up on him. But what he said, and the way he said it, got me thinking. You were together for a long time, and maybe he just got… used to looking at you as sister, not a woman. Maybe instead of staying close to him all the time, you should put some distance between you two? Do something that will force him to see you as a young maiden, not a sister."

Samantha just continued to stare.

Weiss coughed, and shifted nervously.

"I'm not suggesting to do anything scandalous, but from what I know, you two did almost everything together when you were younger, right?"

Sam nodded slowly.

"Even when he left with Leon, you still did everything to be close to him. If not in person, then in thought. Everything we talked about, every dream you told me about, was focused around him. So, maybe try to find something to do that doesn't involve him. Meet other people, make more friends. So far it's been you chasing him. Reversing roles might help." Weiss took another sip and smiled lightly. "Then again, I'm not most knowledgeable person when it comes to romance."

"No, it's ok. Thank you Weiss." Sam said with a small smile.

"Or you could always grab him by the collar, say what you feel, and kiss him hard enough to make him not even consider not dating you."

Samantha's face instantly turned red.

"Weiss!"

The older girl smirked. She wanted to help, she really did. But teasing her younger… friend? Somehow that didn't feel like right word. Anyway, teasing her was still fun.

And with how dense Jaune was, that might be what Sam had to do in the end.

* * *

"Maaaaaan I'm stuffed. I don't think I've ever eaten that much!" Yang leaned back into her seat of the Bullhead they caught in Little Frontier. She sighed contently and smiled at the blond boy sitting next to her. "I must say I was sceptical when you said you were a good cook, but that was _good._ You sure you wouldn't rather open up a restaurant or something? You would be rich in no time."

Jaune chuckled.

"No, thank you very much. I prefer being a Hunter. And it's not like I'm short on cash. " He paused, and looked over his friends. "hat reminds me, I still haven't give you your share for the last job. You want it in cash, or transferred on your bank accounts?"

"Well…" Pyrrha trialed off. "I don't think you have to pay us. I mean, it was a learning experience for us, so…"

Jaune shook his head.

"No can do. We took the job together, so we are splitting money between us. I know that for some of you it will be just small change." He smirked as both Pyrrha and Weiss blushed a little, "but it's about rules. If you work with someone, you make sure they get their cut of the reward. "

"Well, if you say so. How much did we get anyway?" Asked Yang with shrug.

"Five hundred lien each."

"Huh, not bad."

"Actually, it turned out a bit low, since it's split among eight people."

Yang nudged him. "Damn, you make this Witcher business look more and more appealing."

"If you ever need back up, you know who to call, eh?"

Jaune hummed.

"Funny you mention it. I actually had one job in mind, and I think I could use some backup..."

"Hmmm, sounds interesting." Yang leaned closer.

"And I'm going to stop you right here. It's middle of the week and we've got class today. We don't have to show up for Grimm Studies, but we have history class right after."

"Now, now, calm down Weiss, no one is saying we're going now. I just got a tip from an acquaintance that there is some trouble where he lives that might need a Witcher to solve."

"Oh? Tell us more, Ladykiller."

"I don't really _know_ more. Guy who contacted me is a herbalist living in a small village about four hours by Bullhead form Vale. Me and Leon helped him once, and I often visited him to buy herbs when I was nearby. Yesterday Tob passed me a letter from him. No specifics, he just asked me to come over if I had time."

"I see, but give us call if you decide to go."

"Sure thing."

* * *

"Next, Miss Xiao Long, Mr. Arc. Please get ready to fight." Both blondes blinked and looked at each other, then grinned.

"Come to think about it, this is the first time the two of us fight each other in Miss Goodwitch class." said Yang, rolling her shoulders, as the two of them descended into the arena.

Jaune chuckled. It didn't take long for him and Yang to become rivals. They were exact opposites when it comes to fighting styles, with him focusing on defense and counters, while Yang preferred to rush in and overwhelm her opponent with an aggressive assault. Their fights were always very close, with a single mistake often deciding who won and who lost.

"You are right. I was starting to think she didn't put us against each other on purpose."

Yang grinned.

"Probably didn't wanted us to to scare the other students away. Remember what happened last time we spared? I think the training room is still out of commission." She glanced at him with a smirk. "So, what is the score anyway?"

"Twenty four to eighteen for me."

She blinked.

"Wait, what? When?! HOW?!"

Jaune smirked.

"One by one. Slowly, and by not rushing in without thinking."

Yang growled.

"Oh, now you done it Ladykiller. No more playing around. Today you are going down."

"Sure, sure."

It took them only a few moments to get ready. They stood in front of each other, each with an excited grin on their face.

"Ready?" Miss Goodwitch's hand rose in the air.

Jaune got into his stance, Yang doing the same.

"Fight!"

She was on him in an instant, a powerful right hook slamming into his shield. It was quickly followed by a middle kick. He blocked both attacks, and prepared to counter after next one, but to his surprise, his opponent backed off. He made to follow, but was stopped when she fired a few shots at him. He dodged three, the forth hitting him in the leg. He stumbled and ducked, covering behind his shield. A few more shots hit him, and then there was a pause.

Jaune jumped to his feet, and cursed when he saw Yang's leg coming down on him in an axe kick. His shield came up, but instead continuing her attack, Yang spun in the air, placed both feet on the metal surface, and jumped off, firing a few more shots at him.

Jaune cursed, and charged at her. She met him head on, in flurry of punches and kicks. Then she retreated, fired a few times, and jumped at him again. Jaune cursed. He knew what she was doing - changing her rhythm, keeping him from getting a good read on her. A small smirk appeared on his lips. Out of all his friends, she was the best at it. Well, not counting Pyrrha, but his partner was in a class of her own.

Yang figured out pretty fast that his fighting style revolved around reading his opponent's movements, slowly chipping away at their Aura, and then finishing them off with one quick combo.

While this tactic let him win against her the first time around, she'd quickly adapted, and started changing the rhythm in her fights. Of course, Jaune adapted too, and his advantage was that, if all else failed, he could just turtle up and wear her down. Well, in theory.

Yang hit like a truck, and even with his shield and armor, he felt like every bone in his body screamed in agony whenever her fist connected. And if she used her Semblance? He shuddered at the memory of the time when he failed to block a punch coming towards his face.

His shield caught her face, quickly followed by a slash across the stomach. Yang backpedaled, and then fired both of her gauntlets to put even more distance between them. Jaune charged in, just as Yang started reloading her gauntlets. She finished a split second before he reached her, backflipping to avoid the sword coming towards her chest.

Jaune continued his assault, slashing, stabbing, and punching with his shield, even throwing an occasional kick. Yang was able to avoid, or block most of his attacks, but that was fine. His main goal was to keep her on her back foot, to not let her get the initiative back. Any damage he managed to inflict was just a bonus.

But Yang wasn't an idiot, and quickly realized that he was pushing her towards the edge. With little option left, she fired from both her gauntlets - but not at her opponent, but the floor between them. Smoke and dust exploded in all directions, temporary robbing both of them of sight.

Jaune cursed, and rushed forward swinging wildly, but Yang had already retreated. They spent a few moments watching each other. Yang made the first move, shooting from both her gauntlets to give herself more momentum, she charged at her opponent.

Jaune steadied himself, raising his shield to take her charge. But, to his surprise, it wasn't Yang's fist that hit the metal surface, but rounds from her weapon. He cursed when he noticed a flash of yellow rushing past him. His block was clumsy, and even though he managed to protect his face, Yang's fist caught him in the shoulder. He answered with a stab towards her stomach, blocking punch to his face at the same time. Yang's kick made his leg buckle, but he held his ground, and managed to catch the follow up punch on his shield. He stepped back out of the way of the next kick aimed at his torso, slashing down at Yang's leg when it passed by him.

 _So, now she wants to keep me in melee. Push me back, and try to finish me off with her Semblance when my stance breaks._

It was a tactic Yang used often, and how she won most of her fights. She could take him out with a Semblance powered attack, but only if he didn't use his own to strengthen his defense. Unfortunately, he could only keep it up for a few seconds, so he had to time it right.

They jumped away from each other again, and Jaune spared a quick glance at the display screen. They were both below fifty percent, which meant this fight will end soon.

 _Ok, she will probably try to bring me a bit lower, and then counter one of my counters._

Jaune lowered his stance.

Yet again Yang was the one to restart their fight, charging in with a roar. He knew exactly how she would attack - a punch or kick towards the left side of his body to draw his shield away, followed by a low kick to stumble him and then a few body shots to try and break his stance and leave him open to a finishing attack with her Semblance. If he managed to harden his Aura, he would be able to outlast her and win. If not, she would probably pummel him into the ground before he could do anything.

 _Maybe it's time to try something new?_

Jaune smirked, and instead of trying to block or dodge the blonde girl's charge, he moved to attack. A look of surprise on Yang face when her first attack wasn't blocked quickly turned into shock and fear when Jaune grabbed her arm before she could retreat. Another punch sailed towards his face, but he just lowered his head, and took it on the forehead. Yang cursed and threw a kick, but that was what he wanted. He wasn't good at hand to hand, but Leon always insisted he will learn at least the basics of grappling.

He pulled the arm he was still holding back, at the same time basically throwing himself at Yang. It was a clumsy takedown, but his mass and Yang's poor footing compensated for lack of skill. They both crashed on the floor, Jaune not wasting a second in pinning Yangs right arm under his knee.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do the same with other, and earned a punch in the gut. He ignored it, and slammed his shield into Yang's face. The she exploded, golden flames washing over him, blinding him for a moment.

 _Crap._

He activated his Semblance on instinct alone, forming a wall of Aura in front of him, to protect him from the powerful blow.

That didn't come.

 _Double crap._

When he regained his sight, it was to see a grinning Yang, with her hand cooked back.

"Now, I know you might be desperate to get on top of me." She said, the blade of Crocea Mors held firmly in one hand. "But this is not the place, nor the time."

He sighed.

"You say that, but you seem quite desperate to get a hold of my sword."

She grinned. They moved at the same time.

Yang grunted when Jaune's shield slammed into her face. Jaune choked on his breath when Yang's fist slammed into his stomach. He clenched his teeth, and repeated the attack. It was swatted aside, and Yang's grin widened.

 _Well, there goes my winning streak._

Her fist hit him with the force of meteor, sending him flying back. He stopped only when he hit wall on the other side of the arena. He barely heard Miss Goodwitch announcing the end of fight, he was still stunned from impact. With a groan he pushed himself up.

A hand appeared in his vision, and he took it with a smile.

"Good fight." Yang said with a broad smile.

"Good fight." He agreed.

He looked up at the display screen. He had only around ten percent Aura left. Yang was slightly above thirty. Two or three more hits, and he would have won.

 _Oh, well._ He thought, moving back to where rest of his friends sat. _You win some..._

* * *

"...you lose some." Said the cat faunus wearing a very distinctive white uniform and Grimm-like mask.

"Yeah, I know. But I still don't get why we have to work with human scum. Especially one like _that_." Said his companion, spinning in his chair. He was a middle aged man, with bat-like ears.

"No one likes it." Said first one. "But they have money and Dust, something we need if we want to hit the humans where it hurts. So just bear with it for now."

"Heh, I guess you are right. And besides that, we lucked out on the assignment. When I joined the White Fang, I didn't expect to become a technician. Or be happy about it. I mean - this is what I did for the last twenty years."

They both chuckled. And at the same moment one of the numerous screens filling the room they sat at flashed, and displayed an 'incoming call' message.

A quick check revealed that the call was coming from Atlas. Both faunus looked at each other, surprised. Why would someone from the Atlas branch contact them?

With a shrug, the cat faunus accepted the call.

There was some static, before a distorted voice could be heard.

" _Hello? Anyone there?"_

"This is Vale Outpost, three-six-three coming over."

" _Oh great. You guys are with Adam, right? Can you get him there?"_

Both faunus looked at each other. Why would someone from Atlas want to talk with Adam Taurus? Each branch of the White Fang was largely independent.

"Sorry, no can do. Boss isn't here."

There were a few moments where only static could be heard.

" _Oh, well, nevermind then. Listen, we heard you're planning something big, and you need a lot of supplies. Dust, weapons, that sort of stuff."_

"Well, yeah. We will hit the humans where it really hurts!" Said the bat faunus with pride. His companion choose not to point out that neither of them would do any hitting, they would probably be sitting in this very room when attack went off.

" _Heh, glad to hear it. So, the thing is, we recently hit an SDC convoy. We thought it was just regular supplies, but it was a much better haul than we thought. Dust, military grade weapons and armor, you name it. There is more of this stuff than we could ever use, or even safely store, so our branch leader thought we might share with our brothers and sisters in other branches. What do you say?"_

"Well…" The cat faunus drawled out, looking at his companion, who just shrugged and nodded. "I don't think anyone here would complain about additional supplies. What exactly we are talking about?"

" _I'll send you a list. But the thing is… the boss contacted other branches too. Everyone wants some extra firepower, but boss doesn't want it go to waste. So, he decided to send it to the one with the biggest operation going on, failing that, just give it to headquarters, and let Sienna distribute it. So, if you guys could tell me what this plan of yours is…"_

Another exchange of glances, and another shrug. What could it hurt?

"We are going to hit the Vytal Festival."

There was a long pause at the other end, before the voice come back.

" _That's… That's just… Ok, you know what? I think you are guaranteed to get this delivery. Atlas outpost six-nine out."_

Both faunus looked at each other and smiled. Adam would be happy to hear about this.

* * *

Thousands of kilometers away, in some remote outpost, a White Fang grunt ended call and sighed.

"Thanks for the help buddy. I really appreciate this, you know." Said his companion. He just nodded, trying his best to no look anywhere but the monitors. They were mostly clean, but some of the blood had splashed on them too. If he looked hard enough, he could see the reflection of the room behind him.

His eyes darted to the side. That was a mistake. He caught a glimpse of blood and gore that covered the walls, and the corpse of one of his brothers in arms. Or at least what little was left of it.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes awaiting agony. But the _monster_ behind him just patted his shoulder.

"I'm gonna call my boss, she will send someone to give us a ride out of this hellhole. And don't worry, I'll put in a good word for you. Say you were cooperative, and just misguided. You know, all that shit. Just don't go around throwing this White Fang propaganda, and I think you should end up with a light sentence. I made sure they know you are my prisoner, and I'm just letting them borrow you. It would upset me if they mistreated you, and believe me, they know better than to upset me."

He believed. Very much so. If he had any doubts, he just needed to look at room he was in. But he didn't. The image would haunt him for the rest of his days anyway.

"Yes, it's me." He heard the man talk through his scroll. He didn't dare to look around. "Yep, intel was spot on. Well, beside the numbers, there were like forty, or fifty here.

A short pause. He could almost hear the person on the other end of call.

"What? No, there were no casualties. Those guys you lend me are actually very good… Oh, you meant White Fang? Well, they resisted arrest, so we had to kill them"

Ok, now he could hear them clearly. It was a female voice, and by the sound of shouting, it wasn't pleased.

"Hey, wai... No… Listen… JUST LISTEN TO ME! Yeah, we didn't kill _all_ of them. Only those with guns."

More shouting.

"No, not everyone. One guy was smart, he surrendered. Yeah, he's fine. Just a little shaken."

Another pause, this one longer.

"Yeah, sure. And Boss? Threat him well, ok? I mean, he's smart dude, and he said he joined the Fang only because he didn't really have a choice. He doesn't look like a psycho killer to me. And trust me, I can tell if someone is a psycho killer."

 _Because you are one?_ Was something he wanted to say, but did not. It looked like he might actually live through this. No need to do anything stupid.

He could hear his captor sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, say what you want. Guy is smart, and he will cooperate if you don't act like assholes. In fact, you could try and act less like assholes to Faunus in general. Who knows, that _might_ make them hate you less."

He could hear the click signaling end of call, and the soft hum from death incarnate standing behind him.

"Ok pal, come on. Let's find somewhere cleaner to wait for our ride."

He followed without a question. Six men in Atlas Special Forces uniforms surrounded him, blocking any ways of escape.

As if he would try anything.

* * *

Winter Schnee shook her head, looking over small White Fang outpost. They confirmed at least thirty corpses, and reports of more being found kept coming. She noticed few of her soldiers being paler than usual. She couldn't blame them.

This whole place looked like it was a scene taken from some cheap horror movie.

Her eyes fell on the single survivor. An old dog faunus just sitting there, eyes empty. She didn't blame him. Honestly, it was miracle he lived. It was first time she heard of anyone from the 'bad guys' surviving an encounter with the man that took out this camp.

The soldier in front of her finished his report, and she sent him away. Apparently, this crazy bastard and his prisoner called a few other White Fang cells, and asked them about their plans. She would be mad if this reckless action had cost them the chance to gather some intel - except that he got something interesting out of it. She sighed, massaging her forehead.

"Vytal Festival, huh?" She sighed, and turned towards her private ship. General Ironwood needed to hear about this as quickly as possible.

* * *

The white haired man stared at his scroll, lost in thought. Around him, Atlas main airport was busy even at such a late hour. Some people stared at him, whispering. He wasn't sure if it was because of his swords, clothing that had obviously saw better days, or the grilled rabbit leg he was eating.

He didn't care either.

"Vytal festival, huh?" He grinned. "I guess I could pay my old pupil a visit."

* * *

 **And here we go. After some fluff, we are slowly getting back to the action.**

 **I would like address one thing - some people seemed upset about Blake's behavior last chapter. It surprised me, because I didn't think she was coming off as rude. More of blunt honesty. She was concerned about the possibility of Jaune confessing to her because she is still hurt after Adam, and has too many things to figure out to add romance on top of that.**

 **Besides, she** _ **did**_ **notice Sam's feelings toward Jaune. As did everyone else - expect Jaune of course. He sees her as a cute, clingy little sister. Can Sam break through dense wall separating her from the heart of her Onii-chan? Or will she falter along the way? Well, one of these options is much more likely than other.**

 **See you all next week.**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy**


	32. Reunion

**Welcome to ch 31 of TPA.**

* * *

"That was ballsy move, ladykiller. But you generally shouldn't try to break people's fists on your face." Said Yang, pointing a fork at her fellow blond.

Jaune sighed.

"To be fair, I took it on my forehead,. but yeah, I agree. It wasn't my best idea."

"Why even try something like that?" Ruby asked, munching down her cookie.

"Well…" Jaune rubbed back of his head. "You all keep telling me to be more aggressive, so I decided to give it a try."

Pyrrha shook her head.

"We didn't mean for you to throw all caution out of the window, and just charge ahead recklessly. Even Yang wouldn't do that. Well, not anymore."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"That being said." The red haired champion smiled at her partner, completely ignoring the blonde brawler. "I think it's good that you are trying new things out." She hummed, then clapped her hands together. "How about a little sparring session? I mean, the Vytal tournament is coming closer and closer, if we want to stay ahead of competition, it's best if we start training early!"

No one at the table pointed out Pyrrha was probably last person that needed additional training for an event that was still few a months off, but the mere mention of the tournament was enough to start excited talk from most of the people at the table. The only ones seemingly not interested were Ren and Jaune.

"This is madness." The blond team leader whispered to his teammate. "They're acting like little children. What's the big deal anyway? It's just a tournament."

"It _may_ have something to do with the fact it's the biggest cultural event of the year. Whoever wins it would surely become quite famous." Said Ren with a smile.

 _Fame, huh?_ Jaune shook his head. There was a time when he craved for it, but now? He didn't really care.

 _Well, if nothing else, it would be a chance to test my skills._ He thought, as both teams finished their lunch and headed towards the training area.

* * *

Jaune gritted his teeth when the hammer struck his shield. He pushed back, knocking Nora off balance, but before he could capitalize on it, he had to turn around to block Yang's fist. He managed to deflect it, but before he could even think about counter, Yang jumped back. Jaune cursed and rolled to the side, Nora's hammer slamming where he stood. He got up, noticed the ginger girl backing off, and turned around.

Right in time to catch blast from Yang's gauntlets on the face.

He stumbled, and the blocked follow up punch on instinct alone. Follow up kick however he had to block with his Aura.

 _Focus, don't let it go out of control._

Another punch flew towards his face, one he deflected with his shield. He managed to counter this time, but Yang parried it easily. She quickly backed off, letting Nora take her place. Jaune grit his teeth, desperately defending from his teammate's assault.

All the while being peppered with shots by Ren.

He cursed and gave chase after Nora who tried to back off. Out of his current opponents, he had best chance of taking her out quickly. Unfortunately, neither Rain, nor Yang intended to let him do as he pleased. The black haired boy kept his distance, shooting short burst at him from his Storm Flowers. They didn't do much damage to the team leade **r,** but were doing a good job at distracting him. If Jaune tried to close the distance, either Yang or Nora would intercept him, while other one attacked him from behind.

It was the perfect combination, leaving him no chance of winning, unless he somehow managed to take out both frontline fighters first. And considering neither of two girls took long in echanges, instead opting to use their superior mobility to dash in and out - Jaune had little chance of winning this fight.

Then again, taking down other side was not goal of this fight.

"Come on Jaune, keep it up! Only thirty second left!" Pyrrha shouted.

 _Easier said than done._ His shield connected with Yang's face, throwing her away. He spun, narrowly avoiding Nora's hammer, wincing when another balst from Yang's gauntlets hit him. He brought his sword down on Nora's head. She jumped back, but he still scored a decent hit on her shoulder. He continued his assault, fully aware that Yang was probably ready to join the fray at any moment.

He grit his teeth when a few blast hit his back, but continued his charge.

 _It would be so much easier if I had my armor._ He winced, and pushed forward. One of rules Pyrrha set was that he couldn't use his HIDE armor.

"It's too strong. You really on it too much. And sense of safety it provides might get in the way of what we want to do." She said. And Jaune was forced to agree.

Not that it made his current situation any more pleasant.

He managed to score another hit on Nora's midriff **,** but ignoring Yang proved to be bad idea.

The blonde brawler dashed in with a loud roar, her hair ablaze. Jaune cursed, readying his shield - and hardening his Aura for good measure.

"Ok, that is enough!" Pyrrha called out, after Yang's fist slammed into a wall of Aura. Jaune let out breath of relief, collapsing where he stood.

"So.. why I am only one doing this 'special training?'" He choked out, trying to catch his breath again.

"Because you still don't have good control over your Semblance." His partner answered, handing him a bottle of water.

"I think I'm doing fine…" he pouted. Pyrrha chuckled.

"Yes you are, but you could do better. I know it's better to stick to known techniques when in a serious fight, but you should never stop experimenting. Especially with a Semblance such as yours."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"What's so special about it? It's just Aura boost."

"And that's what makes it special." Pyrrha said, sitting next to him. "From what you told us about how to works, I'm certain it can do so much more than just harden your Aura, or neutralize poisons. You should really start experimenting with it more."

"Experimenting? Like what?"

"For example - have you ever tried to harden your Aura less?" Asked Ren, sitting next to Pyrrha, Nora leaning on his back, with her chin resting on his head.

"That could let you keep it up for longer, and use less Aura in the process."

"Or maybe try boosting your speed with it? I noticed that some of your strikes are much more powerful than others." Yang pointed out, sitting in front of him." I'm pretty sure it's because you subconsciously use your Semblance to boost your strength. If you could apply similar boosts to your legs, it could allow you to more easily close distance with ranged opponents."

"Yeah. When we were in Signal, we would spend _hours_ meditating, and trying to think of different applications of our Semblances. Well, Yang lucked out since hers is pretty straightforward. Mine required some work to get used to." Said Ruby, sitting next to her sister, the rest of her team following suit.

Jaune sighed.

"I know, I just never really had time for experimenting back in the Wilds. I was behind everyone else already, so I just focusing on the basics..."

"We know." Said Pyrrha, sending him a smile. "But now it's different. And don't worry, we will help you."

"Thanks guys. That means a lot."

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?" Said Ruby, with a broad smile.

A few hours later, an utterly exhausted Jaune slumped onto his bed. They hadn't made any progress on discovering any new properties of his Semblance - if there were any in the first place. But at least he got some good training in.

* * *

Jaune hit the wall of training room, and slammed down with a groan.

"I-I think I've had enough." He said.

"Sure Ladykiller. " Yang smiled, helping him get up."You did better this time. Am I right?"

"Yes." Weiss said, checking the time on her scroll. "You lasted thirty second longer than usual. That is a noticeable improvement."

Jaune smiled, but didn't say anything. Pyrrha's special Semblance training proved to be almost as harsh as Leon's training.

Almost.

 _Well, there are some results. So I guess I can't complain._

He sighed and got up, flexing his arms. The first thing they decided to work on was a way to increase the time he can hold up his Aura wall. It took some time, and a lot of beatings, but he finally figured something out. Instead of focusing on making a solid wall, he just hardened his Aura a bit. It couldn't completely block attacks like the wall could, but the Aura consumption was much lower.

"So, how do you feel?" Asked Pyrrha, helping him get up.

"Hurting all over from the beating I just received?" He offered. "Would be better if I had my armor…" he whined.

His partner rolled her eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about. And you gotta get use to fighting without it. I'm positive they will not let you use it in tournament."

"Yeah, sorry." He flexed his arms and shrugged.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's easier on the Aura, and I'm getting better at holding it up when under pressure, but I need some more practice, that's for sure."

"Don't worry Ladykiller, we're are always happy to help!"

"Only because you get to punch me for free!"

"Nah, that's just an added bonus."

"All joking aside." Jaune said, motioning for the rest of his friends to come closer. "You remember how I said an old friend of mine needed help?" He waited for them to nod. " Well, I got to talk with him a bit, and know more or less what's going on. A few people were killed - and it's almost certainly Harrowed, but since he lives in a small, and not very important village, it could take some time before they get help. That's why I decided to go myself."

"Can we go with you?" Ruby called out. Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Yes, but not everyone. No offense guys, but this time we will be going in dark, and since you don't have much experience with Harrowed…" he trailed off.

"You don't want to bring too big of crowd with you, right?" Said Ren with a smile.

"Yeah…No offense guys."

"Some taken…" Yang said wrapping arm around his neck. "So, when did you want to go anyway?" Asked Yang.

"I was thinking next weekend. I need to make a new batch of elixirs, and my usual supplier here in Vale ran out of some of the ingredients."

"Next weekend?" Pyrrha bit her lip." I'm afraid I won't be able to go. I have to meet with some of my sponsors." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Pyr." Jaune patted her shoulder.

"I think I'll pass. Our team's average grades started to drop because of a certain someone." Said Weiss, glaring at a certain blonde brawler. "And Brothers knows she won't study herself if someone doesn't force her to."

Yang started to protest, but everyone ignored her.

"Got it. Good luck Weiss, you'll need it." Jaune chuckled. "Anyone else want to go?"

"I think I'll pass too. With Ruby gone, and Yang kept busy by Weiss, I might finally get time to read in peace."

"As long as it's a textbook, then sure. Your grades started dropping too." Weiss growled.

Blake blinked.

"Wait, I scored only one point lower than you on Oobleck's last test!"

"And it's one point too much! The next test will be two, then ten, and before you know it, you are dead bottom. I can't allow that to happen. You need to study more, both of you." Weiss huffed, grabbing the arms of her two teammates. "In fact, we are going to start now. No discussion!" She said, while dragging them away.

"Oooookay…" Jaune shook his head. "Nora? Ren? How about you guys?"

Ren smiled and nodded.

"I think we will go…"

"Yeah! We can't leave our fearless leader alone!"

"Hey! I'm going too!" Ruby protested.

"So,me, Ruby, Nora and Ren?" Jaune asked, turning to his fellow team leader. "Four people. Heh, it's almost as if we are forming a new team."

"I guess." She chuckled, "What would we call ourselves?"

"No idea. I'm really bad at this whole naming thing. You guys can come up with something.." The blond shook his head.

They both chuckled and left the training room.

"Sooo.. what are we gonna do now?" Asked Ruby when their group walked out on the Beacon courtyard.

"Dunno." Jaune shrugged. "How about…"

"Dodge."

Everyone paused, surprised by the unfamiliar voice sounding from behind them. Well, everyone except Jaune, who was already rolling out of the way before a mysterious person finished the word.

There was loud _thud,_ and something buried itself in the pavement where the blond stood just a moment before. Pyrrha and Blake recovered first, their hands reaching for weapons that weren't there. Yang, after just a second of hesitation charged at the man standing behind them.

Only to be completely ignored, in favor of another blond.

Jaune and the strange man met in flurry of punches, kicks, and headbutts. The encounter was fierce, brutal, and lasted only a few seconds, after the older man caught Jaune in a choke hold.

"Ok, I give up." Said the blond, strangely relaxed for person who was suddenly attacked.

"Heh. You did good. I guess you weren't slacking off." Said the man, letting him go. Jaune chuckled.

"Thanks."

RWBY and NPR starred in stone resilience as Jaune and stranger starred a friendly conversation, as if one hadn't just suddenly attacked other.

"Ummm…" Ruby raised her hand, but went ignored.

"Guys?" Yang called out, slowly dropping her stance. Her eyes still were blood red, proving she was more than ready for another round of violence. She scowled when the two talking men ignored her completely and made to walk towards them, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Just give them a moment." Said Weiss, shaking her head.

"You know who that is?" Asked Pyrrha, eyeing the strange man suspiciously.

"Yeah."

"Oh, sorry guys, I almost forget." Jaune called out, rubbing the back of his head. "Allow me to introduce you." he pointed to the man next to him , who was watching them with vague interest. "This is my mentor, Leon. I told you about him. Leon, these are my friends. You know Weiss already. As for others - the blonde one is Yang, the black one is Blake, and the small red one is Ruby. They are on the same team as Weiss. Those three." He said pointing at the remaining three teens. " Are Ren, Nora and Pyrrha. My teammates."

Leon nodded and shook hands with everyone as Jaune introduced them.

"You have sharp reflexes." He said to Blake.

He paused in front of Pyrrha, his eyes narrowing.

"Did we met somewhere? You seem kinda familiar."

"Pyrrha won the Mystral regional tournament." Said Jaune.

"Oh." Leon looked her over and smiled, extending his hand. "You must be good."

Pyrrha smiled back and shook it.

"Four times in row. "

Leon raised one eyebrow, and looked at the red haired Huntress with a little more interest.

"Oh. You must be very good."

Pyrrha chuckled.

Leon tilted his head to the side.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Oh, no! It's just that, Jaune said exactly the same thing when we first met."

"Oh." Leon shrugged. "Anyway, you mind if I borrow him for awhile?" He said pointing at Jaune.

"Well, it's not like we can stop you. Just _please_ behave yourselves." Said Weiss.

Jaune huffed.

"Hey, what's that's supposed to mean?"

"You knew full well. Now go. I have two lazy teammates to take care of." She said, grabbing both Blake and Yang, and dragging them away.

* * *

Jaune raised his mug in a toast, Leon mirroring his gesture. They both took a sip of their beer, and relaxed into their seats.

 _It's not bad. Not the best I've drank, but definitely not the worst._

Jaune took another sip and sighed.

"So, what brings you to Vale?"

Leon shrugged.

"Can't a man just come visit his pupil?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Sure you can, but considering how much you hate big cities, I somehow doubt it's the only reason."

Leon hummed, taking a long sip from his mug.

"It's related to the job I took in Atlas." He said finally.

"Oh? I thought you were done with it."

"I am. I just learned a few things, and decided to come over."

Jaune hummed. Whatever Leon learned, it must have been something serious. Both men fell into silence, each focusing on his own drink.

"So… how was Atlas?" Jaune asked finally.

"Cold." Leon answered with a wince. "Very fucking cold. It might have been other things, but mostly cold."

Jaune chuckled.

"Did they at least pay you properly?"

"Yeah. Say what you want about this Atlas folks, but they always pay well and on time. Only reason I even bother visiting that fucking freezer. Seriously, why people even live there is beyond me."

"Maybe they like the snow?" Jaune offered. Leon scoffed.

"If so, their brains must have frozen over." He glanced around the small bar they were sitting in. People in here didn't look like the best company, and Jaune might have been worried about the contents of his pocket suddenly disappearing, if not for Leon's presence. Sometimes, when drunk enough, common thugs might have tried to pick a fight with a lone Hunter-in-training.

But against a full fledged Hunter? And armed at that?

Those who tried usually didn't last too long on the streets. Natural selection tended to cull those with poor survival instincts.

Leon finished his drink, Jaune doing the same. The older man waved at the barman, and paid for another round. The fat, and bald man with scar across his face glanced at Jaune, then at money Leon offered, and shrugged. Money was money, and if some kid wanted to get drunk? Not his problem.

"So how is living in Vale?" Asked Leon after a few moments.

"Good. Not nearly as boring as I thought it would be."

The Witcher chuckled.

"Yeah, I heard. I thought I had a knack of getting into trouble, but you?" He shook his head.

Jaune shrugged.

"What can I say? I had an excellent teacher." They laughed, and clinked their mugs together.

"Anyway, are you busy this week? I was planning on visiting some old friends, thought you might want to tag along."

Jaune eyebrows narrowed, when he noticed Leon a rub long, jagged scar on his left cheek.

 _White Fang? Here, in Vale?_

The blond hummed. This must have been something serious, if Leon was willing to travel all the way from Atlas.

"I would love to." The blond said finally. "But I have a lot of studying to do. Plus, Regis called over, and said he needed some help. Need to prepare for that."

Leon hummed.

"Regis, huh? I'm surprised that old fossil is still alive. I swear, that guy somehow stopped time, because he looks exactly the same no matter how many years have passed."

Jaune chuckled.

"Maybe he's vampire or something?"

Leon laughed, finishing his beer.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised. But I hope not. Would probably have to kill him if that was true."

Jaune laughed too, finishing his drink. They left the dimly lit and warm bar, and walked out into dark and cold night. It was nearing ten, so Jaune had to get back to Beacon. Before he walked away, Leon stopped him.

"Listen Jaune. I can't tell you the details, but something is brewing here in Vale. The White Fang is preparing something big, and they are not alone. They have some monsters on their side, and I mean real monsters, all capitals. So… be careful, ok? I'll see what I can do about it, but in the meantime keep your eyes open, ok?"

Jaune nodded.

"Sure thing, and Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't hesitate to give me a call."

"Sure thing. See ya later."

"Later."

Both men turned around, and walked their separate ways. Jaune walked slowly, lost in thought.

 _Something big, huh?_ He chuckled. _I knew it was peaceful for too long._

He shook his head.

 _No point in worrying about it now. I have other things to focus on._

Yes, he would leave this matter to Leon. He, after all, had his own hunt to prepare for.

* * *

 **And this wraps up chapter 31. It's short, way shorter than what I wanted, but unfortunately I had a busy week, and… well, I had to either make it shorter, or delay release.**

 **And since this is mostly a set up chapter, I decided I can just as well end it here. So yeah, see you all next week. Hopefully this one will be less busy.**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy**


	33. Talk of the Town

**Welcome to ch 32 of TPA.**

* * *

Jaune looked over the three people in front of him and nodded.

"Ok, so seeing as we have a bit of free time, I'm gonna teach you how you approach a job that is not issued by the Company. The first, and most important, thing to do is information gathering."

"It doesn't matter where you are going, who the client is, or what kind of job it is. The first thing you do is go to the regional Crisis Prevention Center and check out Grimm activity in the area you will be working in, and if there were any Harrowed sightings in the past ten years. "

"But didn't you say Grimm don't come near Harrowed territory?" Asked Ruby

Jaune shook his head.

"Grimm _usually_ don't come near Harrowed territory. If there is enough negativity or the Harrowed appeared only recently, you can still encounter them, and most Harrowed do not have territory big enough to make all the Grimm in the area go away."

"Now, the next step is to check the client. Easiest way is to contact the Company, but if you are not a registered member, or the person hiring you is some random civilian, you probably won't get much. One thing you can, and should, always do is to check if the person has a criminal record. It's rather easy - just go to any police station, explain you are a Hunter and want to check if your potential employer is clear. They should help you without much trouble."

"Lastly, you secure transportation and, if possible, accommodation. Usually you can book some decent rooms online, but it's get harder the further from civilization you go. Any questions?"

"I assume we are supposed to gather all this information on our own?" Asked Ren to which Jaune nodded.

"Then just one question. Who is our client?"

"Regis." Answered the blond WItcher. "Emiel Regis."

* * *

About two hours later Ruby, Ren and Nora entered a small cafe near Vale's bullhead docks. Locating Jaune wasn't hard, the blond Witcher was sitting at the lone table in the far corner of the room, with his back to wall, and a good view of the door. He raised his hand when he spotted them.

"So, what did you learn?" He asked when they sat and ordered drinks for themselves.

"First of all, our client, Emiel Regis, age 52. Graduated from Vale Medical university at age 25, worked for five years in Vale's Main Hospital, then started traveling offering medical services in frontier villages. Currently living in Dragon's Maw, a small settlement north-east of Vale. No criminal record." Said Ren.

"Grimm activity around the city is low to very low. In the past ten years, only common Grimm were signed within a 50 kilometer radius around city. Mostly Ursa, the occasional Nevermore. Two months ago, a pack of around twenty Beowolves approached city, but were exterminated. There were no other incidents worth mentioning in… over twenty years. Overall, form what I found, it's a rather… boring city. They do not produce anything special, don't have any rare resources, and it's not a popular tourist spot." Ruby added, accepting her hot chocolate from the waitress.

"From what we found, there were only three registered Harrowed encounters in the past ten years. All of them were Ghouls. All three were exterminated. "

Jaune smiled, nodding in approval.

"Good job, guys. I already got a Bullhead for us. We are flying out in an hour, so if you have any questions, ask away."

"Why didn't you want to bring more people? It would be more fun with everyone there!" Nora asked.

"I wanted it to be as close to how a real job usually looks like as possible. You generally don't want to bring too many people with you, especially when you are supposed to deal with Harrowed. More people make it harder to find transport and lodging. They need more food, and you to split the reward between more people. Plus, Harrowed tend to hide in cramped spaces, like caves, sewers, and so on. More people would just get in each other's way."

"I see, but how do you know it's Harrowed?" Asked Ren, checking something on his scroll and sippin his herbal tea.

"Well, you can never be sure, but you can make an educated guess based on what info you have. We are dealing with murders here, so unless some local suddenly decided to start chopping, we have three options."

"One, the most popular - Grimm, but there are not many of them, and since the first victim was found over a week ago, someone would probably spotted them by now. Two - bandits. It's a possibility, but they wouldn't just stick around, killing people one by one, too much risk, for too little gain. That leaves Harrowed. Of course, we will learn more once we get there."

"By the way, what is your team up to, Ruby? I thought I saw Weiss dragging them out into Vale."

The young huntress gagged.

"Yeah. She said she wanted to see how the city is preparing for the Vytal festival, and visit docs to 'greet arriving students from other academies'."

"You mean, 'scope out the competition'?"

Ruby nodded.

"Pretty much. Of course, she was denying it. Eventually we agreed to pretend we believe her."

Nora nudged her.

"Aren't you worried? I am, leaving them alone for almost two full days… what if they get into trouble?"

Ruby shrugged.

"They are big girls, they should be fine, and Weiss should be able to stop Yang from doing anything too crazy."

"And who is going to stop Weiss?" Asked Ren, raising a eyebrow.

Ruby sighed.

"I'm kinda counting on Blake for that one. She is always so cool and calm. I'm sure she will be able to prevent the other two from getting into any trouble."

* * *

Ruby shuddered and pulled the warm cloak Jaune made her tightly around her. It was way colder here than she imagined. Sure, it was late fall, but Vale was still rather warm.

 _It must be this wind._ She shuddered again, and ran up to her friends. Jaune looked them over, making sure everyone had their backpacks and motioned for them to follow. Ruby took a moment to look around, and had to admit the scenery was very beautiful. The small airdock their Bullhead landed on wasn't in the city itself, rather in a small clearing a few hundred meters away from the city walls. It was surrounded by sparse forest. Dragon Maw was a medium sized city, that survived in the Wilds of eastern Sanus for almost 50 years now. The reason why quickly become clear when the group got close enough to take a good look at the city.

T front of the settlement was protected by the palisade, its sides and back covered by massive walls of mountain. A river flowing out of a cave visible at far back of city made a natural moat. The walls were manned by four guards armed with rifles, with two more standing near the gate. Jaune exchanged a few words with one of them, and they were let inside.

"Ok, listen up." Said the blond leader, with a serious expression.

"When you visit a city like this, you have to be aware that the laws here are a bit different than in a big city. Try to not get in trouble, because whoever is in charge of keeping order will be much more likely to put you behind bars than the locals. Also, you will probably have at least twenty percent higher prices, so more often than not, you will have to bargain."

"Now, there are a few thing you need to do when arriving in the city for the first time. First, if you haven't done it already, you secure a sleeping space. Ren, Nora, that's your job. I trust you to be able to find a tavern on your own. Second thing, is to meet with whoever is in charge of the police, or more likely, the militaria. Whatever you were hired for, it pays to be on good terms with local law enforcement. Me and Ruby take care of this. After everything is done, we will meet here. Questions?"

There were none, and they went their separate ways. Ruby looked around curiously. It seemed like a rather nice city. People were walking around, busy with their everyday lives. They looked healthy and well fed for most part, with clean clothes that didn't look like rags. The houses, mostly simple, one storey buildings, were in good condition.

"So, what do you think?" Asked Jaune suddenly.

Ruby blinked, surprised.

"About what?"

"The city. The people. What do you think about them?"

She bit her lip. The question was out of blue, but she somehow doubted Jaune wanted to start idle talk. He again had that focused, sharp expression, that Yang dubbed as 'badass mode'.

 _So, this is probably some form of test. He expects me to notice something._

She focused, and looked around again, trying to figure out if something was out of place, but she couldn't see anything. Most people were minding their own business, a few looked at them couriusly, and then returned to whatever they were doing. Nothing really stood out to her as strange, or out of place.

"It seems… normal. Calm. Just a normal city with normal people going about their everyday life."

Jaune nodded.

"Correct, and what does that tell us?"

Ruby hummed, considering her answer.

"That… nothing too bad happened? Safe from this murders of course."

"And?"

Ruby looked around again, trying to figure out what Jaune wanted her to see. There had to be something more, or he wouldn't have asked.

"I… I don't know." She admitted finally.

"Think about what we are here for."

She hummed, considering his words.

"Because there are some Harrowed here that need to be killed?"

Jaune shook his head.

"We don't know for sure if those people were killed by Harrowed, but look at how the locals act. They are act normal, even though three people have died. That means that it wasn't done by a person."

"How do you know?"

Jaune shrugged.

"In cities like this, someone being killed by Grimm, or wild animals, is just an unfortunate accident. There would be a funeral, people would grieve for day or two, and then move on. But if they were killed by a person? That is a tragedy. In a small community like this, where everyone knows everyone, when someone is killed, all the suspicion falls on strangers. You could feel tension in the air, people would be whispering. You would see more of them carrying weapons around too."

"I see. So, that means those people were killed by Harrowed, right?"

"Or Grimm." Jaune nodded. "I doubt it was just a wild animal, but we will have to get in touch with Regis to find out more." He paused in front of large, two story building. "Ok, we're here. This building serves as both police station and prison. Just a heads up, from what I remember, the sheriff is a bit of a jerk. You better stay outside, I'll handle it."

* * *

Ruby sighed, and checked her scroll. Over half an hour had passed since Jaune entered the police station, and she was starting to get bored.

 _What's taking him so long? Should I go inside?_

She sighed again, and shook the device. Unfortunately, it still mocked her with its 'no signal' icon. Ruby groaned, and hid it in her pocket, instead focusing on the city around her. Most of the people weren't paying any attention to her, but a few cast curious glances her way. She made it a point to smile and wave to every one of them. Some waved back, some just shrugged and went on their way. She briefly considered going on a walk, but discarded the idea. It would be really embarrassing if she got lost, and Jaune had to come and search for her.

She looked around again, and something caught her eye. A girl, around her age judging by her looks, were struggling with a basket far too big for her. After a moment of hesitation, and when said girl nearly tripped two times, the young Huntress decided to help her out. That's what Huntresses did, after all.

She managed to take a single step before the girl stumbled again - and this time fell over. With a silent curse, Ruby activated her Semblance and dashed towards the falling girl just in time to catch her and her basket.

"You ok?"

Brown eyes looked at her in surprise.

"I- I- yes. Thank you." She got to her feet and smiled. Ruby returned the gesture. Now up close, she could tell that the other girl was even shorter than she was. She had short, brown hair, and wore a simple, dark green dress, that looked like it was too thin for the cold weather outside.

"That's good." She looked the girl over again, noticing how pale she looked. "Aren't you cold? Did you lose your jacket or something?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I'm just not bothered by cold, that's all. Plus, this dress is way warmer than it looks." She smiled. She stared at Ruby for a moment, and tilted her head to the side. "I haven't seen you around before. You new to this town?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, me and my friends from Beacon came over to…"

"Beacon?!" The brown haired girl exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "You are a Huntress?"

Ruby chuckled nervously.

"Well, in training. I was moved up two years, so…"

"That's so awesome!"

Ruby couldn't stop the goofy smile that appeared on her face. She was awesome? Well, of course she was!

"Nah, it's nothing special." She dismissed the praise with a wave of her hand, and a nervous chuckle.

"No, it is! I.."

"Rias! Rias, where are you?"

The girl, apparently named Rias, tensed at the loud female voice calling her over.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you…" she trailed off, looking up at young Huntress with a shy smile.

"Ruby." She introduced herself.

"Yeah, Ruby. I hope we meet again. See you later!"

Ruby smiled. That was a strange encounter, but not unpleasant. She chuckled and shook her head. She better go back to her spot, before…

"Making new friends?" A masculine, slightly amused voice sounded behind her.

Ruby eeped, and spun around. there, a few steps away, stood Jaune, with his arms crossed, and a small smirk on his lips.

"I… I just…" she stammered. It wasn't a mistake to talk with locals like that, right?

"Good job. Making a good first impression is important."

She let out a breath of relief.

 _Why am I even so nervous? Jaune wouldn't get mad at me for helping someone._

She shook her head, and followed her fellow team leader.

* * *

They met with Ren and Nora soon after. The black haired boy reported that he was able to secure two rooms for them for a reasonable price, to which Jaune nodded with approval. Then, he proceed to question them about town in a similar manner as he did with Ruby. After they were done, they all gathered in their room for a strategy meeting.

"So, I was able to get some details about our investigation. We have three corpses so far. One is a Hunter, not from this village, and not a relative of anyone here. He was found two weeks ago. Two more victims, one old drunk,and the second a young girl. No connections between them. Apparently, Regis was the one doing the autopsy, so he will be able to tell us more."

"Will we be going to meet him now?" Asked Ren. Jaune shook his head.

"No, it's getting late,and he lives outside the village walls. Let's get something to eat, and then I want you guys to wander around a bit. Get to know the layout of town, where the important buildings are, and let locals see you."

"What will you be doing?" Asked Nora, bouncing on her bed.

Jaune shrugged.

"Some shopping, maybe ask around a bit. I need to restock on Elixirs too."

"Need any help?" Asked Ren, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Jaune smiled.

"Sure, but no experiments this time, we stick to recipes. No need for dancing marshmallows now."

Both girls looked at each other confused, while the boys chuckled at some in joke. They shrugged, it probably wasn't anything important.

* * *

The trip around town was uneventful for Ruby, save from one older lady that she helped carry her bags. She was even nice enough to offer her a cookie afterwards.

Now, someone might have said something about taking sweets from strangers, but one, it was a very nice old lady, not some creepy guy, and two, cookies simply couldn't be bad. Never!

So, now Ruby sat at the edge of the river flowing out of the cave at the far end of Dragon Maw, munching down her reward. The entrance - or was it exit - of the cave was jagged and dark. It really looked like the open maw of some monster, and was apparently the source of the village's name.

The young Huntress hummed, considering what to do next. She felt like she had a pretty good idea of the town's layout. The small square in the center with a few stalls and a single well. The buildings around it housed the police station, clinic, and general store. The mayor's house was a bit further back, a surprisingly humble, one story building. The tavern they were staying at was nestled near the single gate leading to and from the village.

She had hoped she would meet that Rias girl again - but no such luck. Ruby glanced at the darkening sky and sighed. It looked like it was time to go back. It was getting dark, and with the fading light, the temperature had started to drop.

On the way back, she considered what she had learned from the locals about the victims. The Hunter Jaune had mentioned was outsider, no one knew the man, but the two locals were well known. The older man, even though almost always drunk, hadn't ever caused trouble, most people referred to him as a decent person, who mostly minded his own business. He apparently was a carpenter, but ever since he lost one arm in an accident, he spend most of his time drinking.

The girl, was the daughter of one of lumberjacks living in Dragon's Maw, and was supposedly a nice and outgoing girl. No one believe that they could be had actually murdered, most people agreed that they were just unlucky and encountered a stray Grimm, or maybe a bear or wolf. This theory was supported by fact that all the bodies were found outside village walls, deep in the forest.

Nothing too interesting.

 _Oh, well._ She thought, shrugging. _We will learn more tomorrow, I guess._

Once they gathered back at the tavern, they shared what they learned. After that, Jaune and Ren left to the room, and spent about an hour or so making various Elixirs. Ruby and Nora decided to watch them, but soon got bored. Mixing herbs was nowhere near as interesting as working with weapons.

Well, at least watching as someone else did it, Ruby thought, getting changed in her pyjamas. Maybe she should ask Jaune to let her help next time? Who knows, maybe she would learn something.

They woke up early the next morning - which is to say Jaune threatened to dump a bucket of water on them if they didn't get up, and seeing how fast Nora went from half-asleep to fully awake, Ruby decided she didn't want to find out if he was serious or not.

Thankfully, unlike her sister, she had no problem waking up early.

After an hour of light exercise, they gathered in the tavern's main hall for some breakfast. The weather was nice, and the food plentiful and tasty. It was a nice beginning of what looked to be a nice day.

Right up until the young man in uniform approached their table.

"We found another body." He said, motioning for them to follow.

Ruby sighed, and cast one last, longing glance at her breakfast.

 _Farewell, my love. Duty calls._

* * *

 **And this wrap up chapter 32. Another busy week on my end. First, I had to paint three rooms, alone. It took me five days to finish. I thought I'd be able to catch up with writing on the weekend - but then it turned out I had to drive my sister to her friend's wedding, and back.**

 **The result is another short chapter, with not much action. But don't worry, stuff will get more interesting next time. I just hope next week won't be as busy… (I just jinxed myself, didn't I?)**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy**

 **See ya next week.**

 **END**


	34. Hunting Shadows in The Maw of the Dragon

**Welcome to ch 33 of TPA.**

* * *

The young man, lead them to small lake about thirty minutes walk from the village. From what he'd said, the corpse was found by morning patrol. He hadn't shared any details, but whether it was because he didn't know, or didn't want to was anyone's guess.

Once they reached their destination they were greeted by an older man in uniform. He shot one look at their group, scoffed and marched up to them.

"Hunter." He addressed Jaune with a scowl.

"Sir." Jaune nodded, apparently unfazed by the older man's behavior. "What are we dealing with here?"

The militia commander spat to the side and gestured behind him.

"With a dead body. Surprising, aint it?. "

Jaune just shrugged and marched forward, his friends close behind him.

"He didn't seem too happy to see us." Ren pointed out.

The blond Witcher shrugged.

"Happens. Some people just don't like when 'outsiders' stick their nose into their business."

"But… it's stupid! We're here to help!" Ruby whined.

"Yes. In perfect word, he wouldn't let his personal grudge, or pride, or whatever it is, stop him from helping us deal with this mess. But, unfortunately, our world is far from perfect."

"So, what now?" Asked Nora.

"We look around, see if we can find something interesting. "

"We looking for anything specific?"

"Anything that looks out of place. Ren, can you take care of it?" The black haired boy nodded,a dn jogged out. "Nora, go with him. I doubt that whatever killed this guy is still around, but better safe than sorry."

"Aye, aye Fearless Leader!" The ginger girl mock-saluted and ran after her friend.

"So, what about us?" Asked Ruby

Jaune sighed.

"We are going to take a look at the body. If they even let us."

* * *

After nearly ten minutes of arguing, Jaune sighed and gave up. The Militia commander was adamant that no one is to come close to body, until 'qualified personnel' examined it. So it was decided that it would be transported to morgue, and after an autopsy was performed, they would be given the results.

Maybe.

"We have rules here, ones everyone has to follow." The older man spat.

Jaune resisted the urge to perform a one finger salute.

 _Better not give him reason to make our lives even harder than they already are._

"So, what now?" Asked Ruby, shifting nervously.

"We're going back to village. No point in sticking around here. I'm pretty sure Regis will be the one doing the autopsy anyway, so we can ask him directly. If we are lucky, he might even let us help him out." He pulled out his scroll and sent a quick message to Ren.

Ruby winced. She wasn't sure she wanted to experience that part of a Witcher's job just yet.

"So… what kind of person he is? Are you good friends?" Asked Ruby after a few minutes of walking.

Jaune hummed.

"I wouldn't go that far. We are more of… acquaintances. Or maybe business partners? Hard to tell, really." The blond boy shrugged, and stared ahead for a few moments in silence.

"Me and Leon helped him out when some bandits wanted to rob him. As thanks, he let us ride on his wagon, and sold us some supplies for a lower price. He helped me a bit with my Elixirs, and since he grows his own herbs I sometime order more… specialized ingredients from him."

Ruby gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean by 'specialized'?"

"The kind you can't get in a normal shop."

"You mean illegal?"

For some reason Jaune avoided looking at her.

"No, why would you think that? They are just hard to come by… or store. You now how it is."

"Jaune…"

The blond sighed.

"Ok, I admit, some of stuff I use in my elixirs might be… questionable. The kind of questionable that makes a shop owner immediately inform nearest police station if I try to make a large order."

Ruby shook her head.

"Whatever you say. Back on topic - what kind of person is this Regis?"

"Well, he is… eccentric. Not in bad way.. most of the time. Usually has this little smile, as if there was some little secret only he knows. He gives this high class vibe. This and the fact he has a rather specific sense of humor makes it a bit hard to talk with him. But he is decent person." Jaune shook his head, and looked around.

They reached the village gate, and Jaune exchanged a few words with one of guards. This one was much friendlier than others, and easily answered the few questions the blond Witcher asked.

Following his direction, pair of Hunters soon reached their destination.

Dragon's Maw morgue was a small, square building sitting behind the clinic. In its open door stood a tall man dressed in long, black coat.

"Jaune." He greeted, bowing his head slightly.

"Regis." The blond Witcher returned getsure. "Any chance we might take a look at the corpse?"

Ruby took a moment to analyze the man. Emiel Regis was a tall man, with greying, black hair, cut to shoulder length. He wore a black coat with multiple pockets, and had a leather bag slung over one shoulder, that probably was source of the strong herbal scent Ruby smelled. Dark eyes, that looked almost black locked to her, and thin lips stretched in a small smile.

"Of course. But first, who is this lovely young lady?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce her. This is Ruby Rose, my friend from Beacon. Ruby, meet Emiel Regis."

"Umm.. Hi." Ruby waved her hand shyly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Rose. And what fitting name, if I may say."

"Ok, old man, stop flirting with her, she's only fifteen. Let's get to work." Jaune said, ushering the older man inside.

"Why, Jaune, as gentlemen it is my duty to compliment a beautiful lady when I see one." He shook his head. "Young ones these days just can't enjoy their lives. Why, it reminds me when I was younger…"

"First: stop. Second : dead body? Autopsy? Ring any bells?"

Regis shook his head with a heavy sigh, but turned around and walked inside, motioning for them to follow. Ruby just stared, unblinkingly. This was… not what she expected.

"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing… he is apparently good friends with Port."

And suddenly everything made sense.

* * *

"So, what do we have here?" Jaune mused, looking over the body lying on metal table. Both him and Regs were dressed in white coats, with latex gloves on their hands.

"Male, 36 years old. His name…" The older man started reading off his scroll.

"No offense Regis, but let's skip formalites, ok? I want to be done with this as soon as possible."

"As you wish." The older man walked around table, checking the corpse.

"We have several bite marks all over body. Deep ones, and there are parts of the body that are missing." He said finally.

"But that's not what killed him." Jaune said.

"No, it's not." Regis hummed. "I would hazard a guess that our guest was dead for awhile, at least few hours before he was found.

"How can you tell?" Ruby asked. She still felt uncomfortable being in the same room as a naked man. Fact said man was dead made it even worse.

"Look here" Said Jaune, pointing at the dark spots on the man's back." When the body lies in a single position for a long time after death, the blood drips down and coagulates. It takes a few hours."

"And judging by the placement and size of the bite marks - he wasn't defending himself. Plus, there was very little blood at the scene. This means he got these wounds after his blood coagulated."

"So, what killed him?" She asked.

"Hmm, I think this." The older man said, pointing at a black spot on the man's chest.

"It looks like he received a powerful blow to the chest. The object was small and blunt, probably broke his ribs, that in turn damaged heart, or lungs."

"No point guessing. "Jaune said, examining the man's eyes, mouth,and neck. "Did you check for poison already?" The older man shook his head.

"No, I just took samples. Can you take care of it?"

"Sure. Will you be opening him up?" Asked the blond, picking up vials with some reddish… thing inside, and walking towards a large table with some strange aperture.

"Yes. " Regis said, pulling out a scalpel "All external wounds seem to be bite marks, made after he died. I don't see any indication he was strangled either."

Ruby, overcoming her unease, walked up to the table to take a closer look at the corpse. It really looked bad, but even she could tell that none of bite marks could be fatal. Most of them were located on the man's legs and arms, and judging by size, it was work of regular wolves, or maybe wild dogs. Maybe a small Beowolf, but Grimm tended to ignore corpses. Dead people didn't emitted negativity after all.

Regis made the first cut, and the first thing Ruby noticed was the smell. How the older man could stand so close to source and not even wince, she had no idea.

"So? See anything interesting?" Jaune called out, not even looking up from the aperture he was using.

"Hmm. Like I said, his ribs were crushed by a powerful blunt force." Regis made one more cut and put his hand inside the corpse's chest. Ruby swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. "Interesting… Heart is heavily damaged, but I don't see any bone splinters."

"If it was really strong hit, it could in theory destroy heart…" Jaune pointed out, but didn't sound too convinced.

"No, there would be much more damage around the impact area. Plus, with an object this small, hitting with that much force would have went straight through the rib cage. It had to be something else." Regis hummed, considering something for a few moments, then made a long cut on the side of the corpse's stomach.

"Liver seems intact… Overall, from what I can see, the internal organs seem to be in rather good condition. "

Ruby could feel her stomach revolt, her breakfast threatening to come out. She started to back away slowly.

Somehow, the casual conversation Jaune and Regis had made it all the worse.

 _How they can be so calm about this?!_

Her back hit the wall and she winced. It would be embarrassing to just ran away. She briefly considered whether to throw her pride to the wind and run, or try hold on, but when Regis pulled out what looked like small mallet, and said he is going to take look inside the head, she decided it's time to capitulate, and then her scroll buzzed.

She mumbled a quick apology, and checked the message she just received.

"Um, Jaune?"

The blond looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Ren just sent message that they are back in the tavern. I'm going to met up with them and see what they found out, ok?" Not waiting for an answer she ran out.

Both men started at the door for a few moments, then chuckled.

"Well, she lasted longer than expected. What was that, twenty minutes after I started cutting?" Regis mused.

"Something like that." Jaune nodded, stretching.

"Well, still longer than a certain someone." Older man smirked. "And she didn't faint."

"First, I don't faint, I slipped and hit my head. Second, you threw a human brain at me, and I was fourteen then. I think I might be excused for freaking out a bit."

"Eh, don't be such drama queen. It was a fake one anyway…"

"Shut up and get back to work."

* * *

Three hours later, four Hunters gathered in Regis' house. It was a small building with an open bedroom, bathroom, and big living room connected to a small kitchen. They sat around a small table, while the older man pulled out several photographs.

"This here is first victim." He said, tapping on the photo. All that was visible was some older man, probably in his late forties, with a hole in his chest.

"It was by far the most brutal kill out of all those we know of. His heart was literally ripped out. But from what I can tell, every victim received a powerful blow to the chest _._ Why only this one had his heart removed, I have no idea."

"This one was second." He said, setting down a photograph of a young girl. "Similar damage to the others, but this one also had a cracked skull, and a damaged spinal cord. I assume she received a powerful blow to the side of head, that snapped her neck."

"And the third one. Nothing much to say here, similar case to others."

Jaune looked over the photos, lost in thought.

"Well, I think we can scrap Grimm and Ghouls from our list of suspects. I don't think it's a Wraith either, too much physical damage, and people killed by them usually look withered. So its either a Aberration, or human." The blond groaned, shaking his head. "I honestly can't say which one I prefer. "Ok, anything unusual there? Something that stands out?"

Regis hummed, leaning back in his chair.

"Honestly, I can't think of anything. None of them had any real enemies, none that I was aware of. They weren't poisoned, unless someone developed a new, undetectable, poison and decided to test it on a few random people from some backwater village." The older man paused for few a moments, pondering something.

"If I would have to point something out… it would be that all those kills were very clean. There is no traces of struggle on the victims' bodies, the damage is minimal. It's usually just this one blow to the chest."

"So, they were taken by surprise. Couldn't see their attacker, or didn't realize they were in danger until it was too late." Jaune sighed. "Ren, Nora, you two find anything?"

"We found footprints. Left by a human, judging by the size, it was a child."

"I see. Well, no one said it would be easy." The blond let out tired sigh. "I guess we are doing it the hard way."

"That means?" Asked Ren.

"I'll use my Aura vision to look for traces of corrupted Aura. Should be easy, since this forest will give me a nice background. But damn, I can already feel the migrene."

"Then what should we do?" Asked Nora once they left Regis' house, the old man promising to keep them updated on any new developments.

Jaune hummed.

"Ren, you can help me with mixing Elixirs, if you want?" The black haired boy nodded with a small smile.

"It would be my pleasure."

"Great. So me and Nora will take a walk around the town. Maybe we will learn something from the people."

"Good idea, but don't be too pushy. People in villages like this tend to not trust outsiders too much."

* * *

"So, how are we doing it?" Asked Nora, watching as both boys walked towards the tavern, discussing something. She smiled a little.

She hadn't seen Ren being so passionate about something for what felt like forever. Ever since Jaune mentioned his Elixirs, and asked her childhood friend to help him out, Ren was doing a lot of research himself. He would read books, browse the internet, and ask teachers for advice and tips.

It was totally different than his normal stoic, almost uncaring attitude.

"I guess we just wander around and keep our ears and eyes open." Ruby answered with a shrug.

"Should we go together, or split?"

"Split." The dark haired girl decided after a second of thought. "I doubt we run into anything dangerous inside the walls, and we will be able to cover more ground that way."

"So, meet here in, let's say, two hours?"

"Sure." Ruby nodded and ran off. Nora chuckled, and walked away in opposite direction. She wandered through the narrow streets, visiting any shop she noticed, and just listening to what people she passed by were saying. IF she heard someone talking about murders, she would slow down, or pretend she was checking her scroll, lean on a wall close by, and listen for a few moments.

What? She could be sneaky when she wanted to.

After almost an hour, she plopped down on a bench near a small river going through the village and groaned. She hadn't learned anything, and in hindsight, it wasn't surprising. Afterall, it couldn't be that easy.

"Hey, did you hear? The sheriff and his boys found out what killed all those people." An unfamiliar, male voice sounded somewhere behind her.

 _Huh?_ Nora focused her hearing.

"Yeah, I heard. Some wild dog, yeah?"

"I think a wolf… not sure about that one. Anyway, it sure as hell wasn't any monster."

"Heh, I guess our resident Hunters proved as effective as expected." Both men laughed, their voices growing quiet as they walked away.

Well, wasn't that interesting information? She wasn't an expert, but she was almost certain that a person killed by a wild animal would be in much worse state than the corpse she saw in those photos.

She got up, and sprinted towards the tavern. Jaune needed to hear about this.

* * *

Ruby groaned. This was pointless! She was wandering around for over an hour, and hadn't learned anything. In her games, her main always stumbled at some clue if he or she wandered town for long enough.

Granted, it usually happened when they reached the 'bad' parts of town - but Dragon's Maw didn't seem to really have any. The village - or was it a small city already? Was too small to develop slums, even though several hundreds - maybe over a thousand people lived here.

She hummed, recalling what she learned about this place during their short investigation. There was no data about how many people lived here, the city was described as having a 'fluid population'. Ruby wasn't sure what this meant, but one nice older man explained that a good portion of Dragon's Maw population were wandering hunters - regular ones, hunting animals for food and skins.

They would often move in, and out, depending on how much prey there was around. Their families, if the had any, staying in the safety of the the walls. The older man she talked with mentioned there were months when 'arrivers', he called them, actually outnumbered the village's core population.

Ruby sighed and looked around. She was in a less populated part of the town. In fact, for the past twenty minutes she had seen only two people.

 _This must be where the traveling hunters live when they come back._ She mused.

Houses here were… simpler. Not really shoddy, but smaller. Despite the fact that most of them looked to be abandoned, all of them seemed in good condition. A loud _thud_ broke her out of her musings. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was repeating in regular intervals.

After a moment of hesitation, Ruby followed it to the source. She didn't have to walk too far. Here, in front of one of houses, stood a small girl in a familiar green dress. She was holding an axe - that looked to be too big and heavy for her, but she apparently didn't have much problems with cutting planks of wood from the pile next to her.

Ruby walked over, waited for girl to swing the axe down, and coughed.

Rias yelped and spun round. Unfortunately, her feet tangled in her dress, tripping her.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby cried out, catching girl before she could fall.

"No, no, it's ok." Rias laughed nervously. "It happens all the time to me. I'm really clumsy, and always fall, and my grandpa always worried about me hurting myself, and now I'm blabbering." She sighed, took a deep breath and laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

Ruby gigled. It looked like she found another person as dorky as herself.

"So.. what are you doing here?" She asked.

Rias shrugged.

"Just cutting some wood. There are a lot of older people around here that can't move as well anymore."

Ruby eyed pile of wood next to smaller girl. It was almost as big as her.

"That's a lot of wood." She pointed out.

Rias smiled.

"Yeah, I'm a lot stronger than I look." She said, flexing her arms.

"I see." Ruby smiled. She looked over her new friend - because dorks had to stick together -and noticed she didn't looked as pale as she was yesterday.

"So, what brings you here? It's not the most… interesting part of the town." Rias paused, hummed, then shrugged. "Well, for someone from big city, you this whole town must seem rather bland and boring." She said, looking away.

"No, I like it here! It's very nice. And I'm form small town too!"

"Really?!" somehow this got Rias very excited. She was now staring directly into Ruby's eyes, a wide smile on her face. Then she pouted. "You're not making fun of me, are you?!"

"No, of course not! Why would you say that?"

"I mean.." Rias sighed. "You're all Hunters! You're so cool! A small city like this…" she trailed off.

"No, I'm serious, I really like it here." Ruby called out, maybe just a little desperate. She really didn't want her new friend to sulk like that. "In fact, we are all came from small towns. I'm from a little island not far for Vale, called Patch. Jaune is form Silver Lake… I'm not sure where it is, but he always said it was a small town. Same with Ren and Nora."

"Ohhh." Rias stared at Ruby, her mouth forming "O".

"So… what it is like? Patch I mean?"

"Well…" Ruby wasn't sure what to say. Patch seems so… normal to her.

 _But I guess everyone thinks that way about the place where they spent most of their life in._

They spend next half an hour just chatting, and laughing. It came to a stop when her scroll rang.

"Jaune? What…"

Her eyes widened.

"Really? That…" She listened for a few moments. "I see. Will be there in a moment."

"Something wrong?" Rias asked, cleary startled.

"Apparently, the sheriff claims he found the beast that killed all those people."

"What? But how…" Rivas called out, clearly surprised.

"Jaune thinks he is wrong, and that there might be trouble." She shot the other girl apologetic smile. "Sorry, I gotta go."

"Ah, sure. See you later." Ruby waved, and dashed off.

Rias looked after her for a few moments, face confused.

"They found it? Then why…?" She shook her head, and after a moment of hesitation, followed after Ruby.

She had to see for herself. Maybe she was wrong after all.

She really hoped that was the case.

* * *

 **And that wraps chapter 33 up. Looks like the local militia did solved problem themselves. Now our heroes can back their bags ,and go back to Beacon. Everything is alright in Dragon's Maw again.**

 **Definitely.**

 **In other news, life is still busy for me, and will probably get even busier. I doubt it will be to the point I would have to delay chapters, but if things start looking bad, I'll let you guys know.**

 **See ya next week.**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy**


	35. Being a Friend

**Welcome to ch 34 of TPA.**

* * *

It didn't took Ruby long to reach Dragon's Maw main square, but once she got there, she was stopped by wall of bodies. It looked like just about every person in the village gathered there. She couldn't see what was happening, but could hear shouting.

The young Huntress huffed when she attempt to push through failed. She considered her options for a few moments, then with a sigh, used her Semblance to jump on the roof of a nearby building. The scene she saw looked like something out of some old movie.

The crowd made a circle around two groups standing in the center of square. One, consisting of around ten militia members,and a wildly gesticulating sheriff, The other was Jaune standing right in front of sheriff, with Ren and Nora a few steps behind him. Thankfully, it didn't look like they were about to draw weapons.

Yet.

With a sigh, Ruby dashed, landing next to Ren.

"I'm telling you kid, the case is closed. Solved. There is nothing left to do for you and your friends, so pack your bags and get the fuck out." The sheriff growled, poking Jaune in the chest with his finger. The blond opened his mouth to answer, but older man didn't let him.

"Are you deaf or something? Get the hell out of my city."

"No," was Jaune's firm answer.

"What the fuck you just say"

"No, we're not leaving. Not before we find what killed those people, and deal with it."

The sheriff looked like he was ready to punch the young Hunter, but stopped himself at the last moment.

"I don't know if you are deaf, stupid, or retarded. I told you kid, we already dealt with it. Wanna see this monster of yours? Here, take a look." He said pointing behind himself. There, between his men, laid a dead animal, some kind of large dog by the looks of it.

Jaune just shook his head.

"That's just some stray dog. It isn't what killed those people. I think…" The blond paused when sheriff grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.

"I don't care what you think, kiddo. I want you out of this city. Now." He growled through clenched teeth.

Jaune closed eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"Those people weren't killed by a dog. I know this, you know this, everyone who caught at least a glimpse of the corpses know this. I'm not sure who you're trying to convince otherwise, but maybe if you can't deal with this situation, you could at least not get in our way."

Everyone stilled at Jaune's words. No one said a word, not even a single whisper sounded. Everyone stared at the two men in the center of the square. The sheriff's face was bright red from anger, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Jaune stared at him with a completely indifferent expression.

For a moment, Ruby feared the whole situation would end in violence. She could already see militia members, closing the distance, hands on their weapons. Jaune just stared at the sheriff, whose hand was slowly reaching for the gun on his waist.

"Now, now, let's all calm down." A new, slightly amused, voice sounded. All heads turned to see Regis approaching both groups.

"What do you want?" Asked sheriff, but his voice lacked his earlier anger.

"Well, I heard a commotion, and came to see what's happening. Now, I'm sure you have a very good reason to be threatening four Hunters with only ten people without Aura, but how about we all take a step back, and try to talk it out, like civilized people."

The sheriff huffed, but let Jaune go, with a light shove. The blond just shrugged, and took a step back, apparently content to let Regis do the talking.

"Nothing to talk about here. We got this 'monster' that killed all those people, so there is no need for them to stay here any longer."

"I see…" Regis walked past the remnants of a wooden box containing the dead animal and watched it for a few moments. When he turned around, his face was perfectly neutral.

"While I'm sure you have very good reasons to believe this case is closed, I would like to point out that these people were hired by me, and as such, they will stay here until our contract is complete. But don't worry, it won't take long, they have to be back in Vale before Monday. I'm sure you will be able to tolerate their presence for one more day?"

Both men stared at each other for a few moments. Eventually, the sheriff huffed, and walked away.

"Come on boys, no need to waste any more time on them."

"Thanks for the help, Regis. " Said Jaune, when the sheriff and his men disappeared into the crowd. "It was starting to look really bad."

"So I noticed. And your last comment certainly didn't help."

Jaune chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I know. My mistake."

"Well, all ended well, so it's ok. Just be careful in the future, you know he doesn't have best opinion of Hunters."

"Really? I never would have guessed."

"But why? Did something happened?" Asked Nora, curious.

Regis shrugged.

"Not sure. I heard rumors that he once worked with a group Hunters, something went wrong and one of his friends died, but I don't know any details."

Jaune shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Let's focus on task at hand. You find anything new?"

Regis hummed.

"Maybe? I ran some tests and compared them to the data you provided, and…"

Jaune tensed.

"They match?"

"Not completely. I had some strange results, not sure what to make of it, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same substance. You want to take a look?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. I trust you, but I want to make sure." The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Ok, Ren, Nora, I want you to go back to the place where we found the last body. Ren, you have the powder we made earlier?"

"Yes, right here."

"Good. spread it over the area, see if there is any reaction. If it turns red, retreat and find me immediately. Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"You try to ask around town, see if there aren't any people who were acting strange lately. Like a normally, outgoing person avoiding people, or someone disappearing at night, or having trouble remembering things. But be…"

"Discreet?"

Jaune sighed.

"Yeah. And guys? Pack your bags. We might have to evacuate quickly if the worst case scenario happens."

"And what's the worst case scenario?" Asked Ren.

Jaune remained silent for a few moments, then let out a tired sigh.

"A repeat of Spring Valley."

The three Hunters in training looked at each other, then at their leader, and nodded. There was no point in asking any more questions.

* * *

Nora looked around nervously. They reached the clearing where the last body was found without any problems. And, as strange as it was, this put her on edge. It all looked so peaceful, so serene, but somehow, that didn't put her at ease. She watched with one eye as Ren started to cover the ground in some strange, funny smelling powder. She didn't know what it was supposed to do - she could only watch them mix herbs, Dust, and gods know what else for only so long before it got boring.

On top of that, they had apparently developed some sort of telepathy, because they were either finishing each other sentences, or didn't finish them at all, but still understood each other perfectly. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be impressed, annoyed, or jealous.

Her and Renny had been friends for forever, and they couldn't do that!

Yet.

As soon as they got back to Beacon, she and her childhood friend would need to do some special training.

She sighed, and looked around. No danger in sight, but she still had this uneasy feeling. And she learned to trust her instincts more than her senses.

"How it going?" She called out, still scanning the forest for any threats.

"I'm done." Ren walked up to her and smiled. "I would like to search around a bit. Maybe we'll find something."

Nora nodded and followed her friend. To be honest, she would prefer to go back. This place was giving her the creeps.

And she wasn't sure if she wanted to find anything.

* * *

Jaune sighed, leaning back in his - or rather Regis' - chair.

"So? How does it look?" Asked the older man, handing him a cup of tea. Jaune accepted it with a smile and took a long sip.

"There are trace amounts of something similar to the poison used in Spring Valley, but there isn't enough for it to be the cause of death. Still, just to be sure, I would like to check out the town's water supply."

"We take water directly from the river. It would be hard to poison it without anyone noticing, but 'l'll check. Anything else?"

"In Spring Valley, he used candles to spread the toxin in the air. You think…"

Regis shook his head.

"Not a chance. Things like that we usually buy from caravans. Last time we bought any candles was over three months ago."

"Good. One less thing to worry about."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"First, I'll wait and see if my friends found anything useful. If not, I'll just use my Aura vision to track this thing down."

"Why not do it now?"

"It's more effective when it's dark out. When I try to use it during the day, I always end up with a terrible headache afterwards. Plus, I would be able to see the glow of Aura better in the dark."

"I see. So, we wait?"

"We wait."

* * *

"Ruby!"

The little red Huntress paused, and turned towards the source of the voice, slightly annoyed. She was in the process of interrogating a grumpy old man, and finally was breaking through his defences. Her eyes stopped on a familiar girl in a green dress running towards her.

"Hey Rias. What's up?"

"Oh, you two know each other?" Asked the older man.

"Ah, hello Mr Graff. Yes, Ruby helped me out yesterday."

"It's nothing." Said girl smiled. "What's happening anyway? You looked to be in hurry?"

"It's about my friend, Emille. She asked me to help her gather some herbs yesterday, but when I got to our usual meeting place, she wasn't there. I haven't seen her since then. She can take care of herself, but I'm worried." Rias chuckled, looking to the side. "So, I thought that maybe you could help me look for her?"

Ruby nodded with a smile.

"Of course."

Rias beamed, and grabbed the young Huntress hands, dragging her towards the gate.

"Oh, thank you Ruby! I know it's silly, she's probably safe, and already back, but I'm just so worried, and…"

"It's alright Rias, just calm down. Tell me, where are we going to start looking for her?"

"There is this one place we always meet at when we want to hang out. Follow me!"

They ran for a few moments, before finally stopping near a big oak tree. Ruby could hear the sound of running water from nearby, probably some small stream. Rias looked around, and deflated a bit when she didn't see anyone.

"So, this is the place?"

"Yeah. We usually go along the edge of forest. There is a small stream here, a lot of useful herbs grow around it."

Ruby made to suggest they go the same way, but the sound of rustling stopped her. She pushed Rias behind her, urging her to hide behind the giant tree, and gripping Crescent Rose. She recalled there weren't supposed to be any Grimm in this area, but one couldn't be too careful. The rustling repeated a few times, getting closer and closer. Ruby bit her lip. Should she pull out Crescent Rose? Normally she wouldn't hesitate, but the people in the town were already very nervous, and she doubted that some villiger walking out in the clearing only to see her brandishing her weapon at them would help the situation.

Ruby tensed when she noticed the bush rustle again, but relaxed when two familiar figures entered the clearing.

"Ren! Nora!" She called out with a sigh of relief.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Asked the ginger girl.

"Well, I was helping my friend find someone." She said, pointing at the girl still hiding behind the tree. "Rias, you can come out,. These are my friends, Ren and Nora." They waved to the smaller girl, who, after a moment of hesitation, walked up to them.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." She said with a bow.

"Likewise." Said Ren, returning the gesture. "You said you were looking for someone? Maybe we can help?"

Rias lit up.

"Really? That would be great! My friend Emi, she disappeared somewhere. She went into the forest to look for some herbs, and I haven't seen her since."

Ren's eyebrows narrowed.

"This friend of yours. Could you describe her?"

"Well, she is taller than me, by about a head. She usually wears a brown, leather jacket and pants, with a blue, or white shirt. Dark brown hair, and… did something happened?" Rias added when she noticed Ren and Nora's expression.

The black haired boy let out a tired sigh.

"I… I think we already found your friend."

Ruby swallowed. Somehow, that didn't sounded too encouraging.

* * *

Jaune sighed, and stepped back from the body. A few villagers had come over, put her on a stretcher, and carried her away.

"Fuck." He spat. Another victim, killed in the same way. They were too late, again.

 _At least we know that whatever it is, it is hiding somewhere nearby._

The body was fresh, Regis estimated she died only two, to three hours ago. Jaune sapred a glance at Ruby, who was currently comforting some young girl, a friend of the deceased if what he overheard was correct. Ren and Nora stood nearby, apparently not sure if they should join their teammate.

Jaune cursed again. Ha hated what he had to do now, but there were no way he could force any of his friends to do it.

"Rias?" He called out when he come closer. Big, shocked eyes look up at him, and he almost backed off. With her simple dress, and round face, she looked surprisingly similar to Sam.

"I'm Jaune, Ruby's friend. Could we talk for a moment?"

She looked uncertain, but eventually nodded.

"Thank you. I know it's hard, but I need to ask you some questions."

She just nodded.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"T-this morning. We were supposed to go to the forest together, but when I got to our meeting place, she wasn't there."

Jaune nodded. Some of the villagers said they saw her leave the village early in the morning.

"I see. Tell me, was there anything unusual about her behavior recently? Like for example, loss of memory, or her becoming afraid of crowds, bright lights, or loud noises?"

Rias considered the question for a few moments, then shook her head.

"I-I don't think so. She was always a bit of a loner, prefered to wander in the forest than to stay in the village. Wanted to be a hunter." She chuckled. "Well, a regular one. Not like you or Ruby."

"You sure?" His eyebrows narrowed. "Some of the people I talked with said she was pretty outgoing."

Rias looked at him, for a few moments, unblinking.

"A-ah." She paused, looking to the side. "T-thats…"

"Jaune I think this is enough" Ruby said, hugging the smaller girl closer.

The blond ignored her.

"Rias. I need you to be honest with me. Everything you tell me, every piece of information, no matter how small, or insignificant you think it is, can help me find the… thing that killed your friend."

Rias shuddered, and for a moment Jaune though she might start crying, but she just shook her head, letting out short, humorless laugh.

"You will find it…?" She suddenly looked him in the eyes. They were the strangest color of green. "And what you will do with it once you find it? Will you kill it?" She challenged.

Jaune held her gaze.

"I'll free it from it's torment."

A few moments passed in silence. Eventually Rias let out tired sigh.

"Emi, she was… wild. She preferred to spend her time in the wilds, surrounded by trees and animals, rather than people. If she had to sit in the village, she would get restless, and start to look for things to occupy her. So, I guess some people saw this as her being outgoing." She shrugged. "It's not that she didn't like being around people, it's just that not many could keep up with her."

Jaune nodded.

"One more…" the ringing of his scroll stopped him. He excused himself and accepted the call.

"Please, tell me it's good news."

He could hear Regis hum.

"Not sure if it's good or not. I guess it's for you to decide."

"I'm listening."

"This girl, your friend Ruby hangs out with… Rias."

"What about her?"

"I asked around and it turns out she knew every victim."

Jaune tensed. It didn't necessarily mean anything. It could be just a coincidence.

Leon taught him to not believe in conscience.

"Great. Any more good news?" He asked sarcastically.

"Actually, yes. About a month ago, she traveled with caravan to Mistral, she came back about a week ago."

"Wait, alone? What about her parents?"

"Her parents are hunters, the regular kind. They often leave village for weeks. The girl is used to taking care of herself, plus many people like her. She helps everyone she can, and people help in turn."

Jaune sighed.

 _Ok, let's not jump to any conclusions. None of this has to mean anything._

"Oh, and one more thing."

Jaune groaned.

"That caravan… they were passing close to the place where this 'Master' was found."

Jaune remained silent for a few long moments.

"I see. Do you think…?"

"Well, you are the expert here."

Jaune groaned again, running a hand down his face.

"Ok, can you tell me more about the people that died, and what was their relationship with Rias?."

He spent a few minutes listening to the older man, from time to time casting a glance towards Ruby, who was still hugging her friend.

The blond hung up, and walked back to his team and small girl, who he desperately tried to not think of as a potential culprit.

"Rias."

She and Ruby looked up at him.

"One more question from me. Did you know any of the people that were killed?"

She considered his question for a moment.

"I… My parents were friends with Mr. Falker. He was the fisher that was killed two days ago. And Kamille, I knew her, but beside saying hello to each other, we didn't speak. And the last person… Mr. Drow, I think. I didn't speak with him at all." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I can't help you with it."

Jaune tilted his head to the side, checking something on his scroll.

"Are you are sure you didn't know any of them closer?"

Rias shifted nervously.

"Y-yeah."

"Then how do you explain this." He said, pointing the screen of his scroll towards the young girl. There was photo on on it, of Rias, and some tall, blond girl. They were sitting together at the table, leaning on each other, and smiling towards the camera.

"Looks pretty friendly to me." He said, staring at the younger girl.

She in turn stared at photograph with wide eyes.

"I.. I don't…"

"And that's not all. I talked with Regis just now, he said you knew all the victims. You were good friends with Kamille. The old drunk, Mr Drow? You visited him often, cleaning his house, and even giving him food. And Falker - he was your uncle."

Rias seemed to grow smaller with each sentence Jaune said. Now that he paused, she looked terrified.

"I-I…" she stammered.

"And on top of that, Falker wasn't a fisher. He was lumberjack."

"Jaune, that enough! She's scared!" Ruby cried out, but went ignored.

"You knew all those people, Rias. You knew them well. So tell me, why are you trying to hide it?"

"I…"

"Rias, what is going on?"

"I.. I don't know." She cried out, looking around for help. Ruby got up, standing between her and Jaune.

"This is enough. She is afraid, she just lost her friend. It's natural she is in shock and can't…"

Jaune sighed, and finally looked at his teammate.

"Ruby, stand down. This isn't simple shock, she shouldn't be forgetting her friends and family. She is either lying, or…"

"Stop!" Ruby cried. "How can you be so cruel?!"

"Ruby, that is enough! She knows something about the Harrowed that killed all those people. She can even be…"

"NO!" They all turned to wide-eyed Rias. She was backing away slowly, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

"No…" she said again, shaking her head slowly.

Then she turned around and ran.

Ruby, after sending one last glare at Jaune, followed her.

* * *

 _Stupid Jaune. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did he have to be so mean?_

Ruby thought, as she ran after Rias. The girl was surprisingly fast, able to easily navigate in the forest, even when it was getting dark. Ruby was too busy chasing her, to consider she, a Huntress with a speed semblance, was having trouble catching normal, fourteen year old girl without Aura.

 _It's normal. She knows where we are, and is probably used to running through the woods._

Ruby grit her teeth, and sped up. Eventually, she caught up with her friend. She looked around, and realized it was the same clearing with the big oak tree, Rias took her to earlier.

"Rias?" She called out.

"Stay away!" Her friend cried out, taking a few steps back.

"Rias, clam down! I'm not going to hurt you."

"No.. you.. I…" she clutched her head in her hands. "Don't come any closer!"

"Ok." Ruby paused, and after a moment of consideration sat down, legs crossed.

"It's ok. Everything will be alright. Jaune might seem mean, but he means well. I'll still give him a proper scolding later, but for now…"

"No…" Rias shook her head, then chuckled nervously. "No, no no, no... It's all wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I can't.. I don't…"

Ruby swallowed.

 _Ok, keep calm girl. You got this._

"Rias…"

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

The young Huntress blinked, surprised.

"You don't have anything to apologize for! If anything, it's Jaune…"

"No, it's alright." She sighed, and sat down." I'll tell you a secret Ruby. I can't feel any of it."

Ruby blinked again.

"Feel… what?"

Rias smiled at her, but it was sad, desperate smile.

"Anything. The grass under me feet, the wind on my face. Heat or cold. Joy or sorrow. Anything. I just act like I do, I pretend, because I know people expect it. But it's getting harder and harder. I… I think I'm, starting to forget what it is like to feel anything…"

Ruby swallowed, desperately trying to not think about what Jaune almost said before Rias ran off. It couldn't be, could it?

"I used to get sick easily, you know? My parents always worried about me. Then I meet this one guy, he said he could cure me. It was weird, really weird, but it worked! This medicine he gave me, it really worked. I wasn't hurting anymore, I was stronger, so I could actually help people around town."

She chuckled, then scowled.

"But then I started noticing that I couldn't feel other things, Even that chuckle just now, I did it only because I thought I should. I know that there is something wrong with me, but I just don't care. Because I can't feel anything."

"She then walked to still the sittig, and shocked Ruby, and looked her in the eyes.

"But when I first looked in your eyes, I felt… something. I don't know what, but it was first time I felt anything in a long time. I hoped you might help fix me, but…" She stepped back "It's gone now. I no longer feel anything."

"Rias…" Ruby made to get up, but the smaller girl just shook her head.

"No, it's ok. I had suspected it for some time, but…" She shrugged. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

Ruby turned around. The blond Witcher just walked out of the woods, Ren and Nora following shortly after. Ruby's eyes widened when she noticed her fellow team leader had his black sword drawn.

Rias let out a long, tired breath.

"The monster that killed all those people… it's me, right?"

A few moments passed in silence. Ruby wanted to protest, to tell to them to stop joking like that, because this was definitely not funny.

Eventually, Jaune sighed, walked closer, and stood next to Ruby.

"Yeah."

Ruby shook her head. This wasn't possible! Harrowed were supposed to be mindless monsters! And Rias was a normal person!

Sure, she was super strong, and didn't feel cold, and was able to run as fast as a trained Huntress through thick forest at night, and…

"I see…" She appeared lost in thought for few moments, than just shook her head. "So I guess you're going to kill me now?"

Jaune sighed.

"Technically, you are already dead. For a few weeks, I think."

"Oh…" Rias looked shocked, but then just chuckled. "Well, that would explain a lot. But… why did I kill those people? I.. I don't remember doing any of this…"

"I don't know. It might have been because they saw something that tipped them off you aren't human anymore. But If I had to guess… It's because you are not a Harrowed yourself, rather your body is controlled by one." Jaune took a few careful steps towards girl. "You can't remember what you did those nights, right?"

Rias looked up at him, surprised. Then, after a moment of hesitation, nodded.

"And you usually found yourself in this place in the morning, and you are never sure how you got there."

She nodded again.

"Yeah.. yeah, you are right. What does that mean?" Her voice sounded excited, hopeful even.

Jaune sighed.

"You were attacked by a parasite type Harrowed. It killed you, and is using your body as a host. The reason you don't remember those nights, is that most Harrowed are weaker in sunlight. So, it uses your memories to blend in at day, and takes full control at night."

Rias deflated.

"Oh… So there is no way to help me, right?"

Jaune lifted Eclipse.

"This.. This is only way."

Rias tensed and took a step back. Then she took deep a breath, and walked closer.

"I see." She stopped right in front of Jaune. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone. So please, before it take control of me again… While I'm still me. Please…"

Jaune lifted eclipse, pointing the blade at Rias' chest.

"Sure. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Rias nodded, closing her eyes. She was shaking, but stood in place. Jaune adjusted his grip. One stab, right through heart, it should be enough to…

"Wait!" Rias cried out. Jaune jumped back, but no attack came.

"I.. I.." she took a deep breath. Then another. "Can you… let Ruby do it? I.. I just feel that if it's her, I…" She rubbed her head.

"She is my friend...I think…" She added looking at young Huntress. Ruby blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, then she nodded.

"Yes, of course! We are besties!"

"Then, please. I know it's selfish, but…"

Ruby wiped her tears, and got up.

"Not, it's ok." She looked at Jaune. "But… can I even do it?"

The blond considered her for a moment, then nodded.

"Should be possible, but we will have to do it together." He stood behind Ruby, holding Eclipse near crossguard with one hand. Ruby grabbed handle with both.

"I'm going to activate it now. You should be able to feel the flow of my Aura. Try to add yours to it, but don't lose control. It will drain you in a few seconds if you lose your grip."

She nodded. Moments later, she felt Jaune's aura flow into blade, and it responded. Black smoke rose and coiled around their arms, painting them black. The blade itself looked like it was made out of blackness. Ruby tried to not think about how much like the smoke Grimm turned into it looked.

But then, she noticed wisps of white appearing in the black mass, coiling around the darkness, binding it, and shaping. It took her a moment to realize it was Jaune's Aura, and she focused on her own, pushing it into the blade.

It was easier than she thought. The power of her soul flowed freely out of her body, and into the blade. The white was joined by red, both colors swirling, never mixing, but working together to bind, and shape the dark blade.

"Good. Now, do it."

Ruby hesitated, looking at Rias. Her friend smiled and nodded.

"Goodbye Ruby." She said, closing her eyes.

Ruby bit back a sob.

"Goodbye, Rias." And then she pushed Eclipse into her friend's chest.

* * *

 _Helpless. That was how she felt. Always sick, always too weak to do anything. Even if she tried to help, she just made things worse. She either messed it up, or got injured._

 _Completely helpless._

 _What is point of living like that? Only bringing trouble to others?_

 _And then she didn't felt helpless anymore. Nor sick, nor weak. She was happy… until she realized she wasn't really happy, she just thought she should be. And once that realization came, she noticed she couldn't feel many things._

 _In fact, she couldn't feel anything. She was empty, completely empty._

* * *

Jaune lifted an unconscious Ruby in his arms.

"So, what now?" Asked Nora. Her voice was quiet, uncertain.

Jaune sighed.

"We go back to the tavern. Ruby needs some sleep. And after that?" He shrugged. "We go back to Beacon. Our job here is done."

"It… doesn't feel as awesome as I thought it would…" she said, sparing one last glance at the spot where Rias' body turned into dust.

Jaune let out a tired sigh.

"It rarely does."

* * *

 **And this wrap up ch 34. Our heros successfully completed their mission. But victory is not nearly as sweet as they would like. Well, at least Ruby scored her first Aberration kill, right?**

 **Next chapter will wrap up Dragon's Maw arc, and our heroes will finally get a chance to go back to Beacon and relax.**

 **If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy**

 **See ya next week.**


	36. Teaste of Succes

**Welcome to Ch 35 of TPA**

* * *

Ruby groaned, slowly opening her eyes. She hurt all over, like she just ran a marathon. Several times. She sighed and sat up, looking over small room she was in. It was unfamiliar place, and it took her a moment to recall where she was. She slowly stood up, noting with a bit of surprise that she had no trouble standing.

What had she done yesterday anyway? To be so exhausted she had to…

And then it all came flooding back. The old, oak tree, The small clearing, basked in the reddish light of setting sun. The small girl in a green dress smiling at her. The black blade piercing her chest. Red, warm blood staining both the green dress, and hands holding the sword.

Her hands.

She lifted them up, staring as if they belonged to someone else. She could still remember he warm, thick liquid. She could almost smell the intense metallic scent.

Ruby hid her face in her hands, her body shaking.

 _What have I done?_

She killed her. She killed Rias. She could remember the moment so cleary. The moment she grabbed the black sword. The moment it stirred to life, when Jaune poured his Aura into it. How she then added her own. How it pierced the chest of her friend. Emotions and… were those memories? That had crashed into her moments later. And then… darkness.

She started shaking even more, her breath coming in harsh gasps.

She killed a person. Not a Grimm, but a human. Not a bandit, or another criminal, but a small, innocent girl. Her own friend. She…

"Ruby?"

She tensed, and slowly turned around. Silver eyes met emerald, and Ruby forced a cheerful smile onto her face.

"Hey Nora! Wha…"

She paused when the older girl embraced her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Ruby." Nora whispered in her ear, gently stroking her hair.

Ruby bit back a sob. She absolutely couldn't cry! She was Huntress, a Hero, and heros didn't cry!

No matter how much it hurt.

Ruby let out a stuttering breath.

Nora's hug tightened.

"It's ok Ruby. You can cry, I won't tell anyone."

Ruby weakly shook her head. She had to be strong, she couldn't afford to cry. But Nora's warm hug, the way she gently stroked her hair, it all made resisting so much harder.

And when the older girl started humming some soft melody? Ruby finally broke, letting her tears flow freely.

* * *

"So, how did it go?" Asked Jaune when Ren left the sheriff's office.

"We won't be put in front of a firing squad." His friend answered with a smirk.

Jaune snorted and got up. "Then let's go back to the tavern. Ruby should be up by now."

"So, what happened to her? They way she fainted…"

"Aura exhaustion. I'll explain in detail once we get there."

"It's another one of these Witcher secrets?" Asked Ren with a smile.

"Yeah."

Ren shot his friend a curious look, but refrained from asking any more questions.

* * *

"Thank you, I'm better now." Said Ruby, putting down now her empty cup.

Nora smiled at her.

"I told you. Renny's tea is the best!"

Ruby chuckled, but had to admit her friend was right. The strong herbal drink Nora brought her really helped in calming down.

"So, what now?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"We wait for boys to come back. Jaune said there is something he needs to tell us."

Ruby hummed.

"Where are they anyway?"

"Giving a report to the sheriff. They should be back any time now."

True to her words, just a few minutes later, Ren and Jaune entered the room.

"How are you feeling Ruby?" Asked the blond witcher after everyone sat down.

"Ummm… good. I felt dizzy when I woke up, and my whole body ached, but now I feel fine."

"It's normal. You poured too much Aura into Eclipse, that's why you felt drained. More importantly - have you felt something… strange? Like emotions, or memories that weren't yours?"

Ruby looked at him, surprised.

"Yes… I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not, but when we… I…" she paused, taking a deep breath. Nora squeezed her hand, sending her a reassuring smile. Ruby smiled weakly back. " When I killed Rias… I felt something. I don't remember exactly what, but there was something."

Jaune sighed.

"Well, I guess this was to be expected." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Do you remember when I told you guys about how black swords work?" He waited for them to nod. "Well, the thing you experienced is called rebound. It happens when you absorb too much corrupted Aura too quickly. Or if you absorb a lot more than your own Aura can adjust to. You get used to it over time, allowing you to absorb more, but you shouldn't push your limit too far."

"I see." Ruby considered something for a moment, before asking "Is there any way to stop this rebound from happening?"

"Beside not absorbing too much corrupted Aura? I don't know of any, and honestly, even if one existed, I wouldn't want to use it."

"Why?" Asked Ren. "Based on what you said, and Ruby's reaction, it's not a pleasant experience."

"True." Jaune agreed, "but… it just feel right, you know? Like hearing their last words, or something. And…" he sighed, shaking his head. "You grow more powerful each time you do this. And you know what they say - appetite grows as you eat. Rebounds are the price for this power, something that keeps you in check. Without it, it would be too easy to get yourself lost, and bite off more than you can chew."

"So what will happen if you absorb too much?" Asked Nora.

Jaune considered the question for a few moments, then shrugged, and took off the leather glove on his right hand. Three startled gasps sounded when the black limb was uncovered.

"Are you all right?! Do we need to call a doctor? Jaune, what…" Ruby called out, already looking for the first aid kit.

"Calm down. I'm fine."

She paused, looked at him, then at his black hand, took a deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"Are you sure? This doesn't look 'fine'." She said sitting next to him.

"Yeah. Like I said, it's normal when you absorb too much corrupted Aura. Unfortunately, when killing an incorporeal Harrowed, this happens almost always."

"Then why am I ok?" sked Ruby, staring at her own hands.

"It's because your tolerance for corrupted Aura is lower than mine. That means you can't absorb enough for corruption to show."

"I see..." Ruby hummed, then suddenly perked up "Wait, you said incorporeal Harrowed, but Rias…" her voice grew quieter as she spoke, until it was just a whisper. Jaune placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Well, you passed out, so I guess you didn't see it. Whatever type of Harrowed was possessing Rias, disappeared after we stabbed it with Eclipse. Judging by the state of the corpse that was left behind, she had to be dead for over a week."

Ruby slumped even further and Jaune winced.

 _I'm so not ready for this. Ok, think, what to do?_

He glanced at his teammates, but it didn't look like he was going any help from them. They both looked uncertain what to do.

 _Right, it that would be too easy. Ok, I need a distraction._

"So… you guys wanna hear a Witcher story?"

 _Ok, not my brightest idea…_

Ruby looked at him, curious.

"Story? About what?"

Jaune sighed. If only he knew himself.

 _Come on brain. Give me something, anything…_

"It's called 'Queen of the Damned'." He said, before he could stop himself.

 _Anything but that!_

"Ohhhhhhhhhh are we going to be telling ghost stories!?" Nora exclaimed, happily jumping to her feet. Jaune made to protest, but caught her eyes subtly shifting towards Ruby, then back to him. Thankfully, he caught the hint.

"Sure… why not." He allowed.

Nora cheered again, grabbing both Ren and Ruby "Oh, it's going to be _so_ awesome!"

* * *

"So… why are we sitting under the blanket?" Asked Jaune.

Ruby sighed, shaking her head.

"Because ghost story are always told under a blanket. Or over a campfire, but we can't start one here, can we?"

Jaune sighed, and shook his head.

"You do have a point." Ren admitted, "but why did you insist we wear our pyjamas?"

Nora and Ruby shared a long look and sighed.

"Because we can't have a ghost stories night without dressing appropriately." She explained slowly.

"But it's nine in the morning…" the black haired boy pointed out, but Nora waved her hand dismissively.

"Details. Now, let us begin!"

Jaune cleared his throat, and spoke.

"Long time ago, before Grimm started plaguing this land, there were many kingdoms across Remnant.. The world was a chaotic place then, it wasn't uncommon for cities, or even whole kingdoms to be destroyed overnight by their neighbors. One day, the kings of the five biggest kingdoms came together to speak about the future of their countries.

"This state of things cannot continue. " Said the oldest and wisest among them. "If things continue as they are, we will just destroy ourselves. Nothing will remain. "

"Truth you speak." The others agreed. "But how can peace can be reached? Even if we are of one mind, nobles from our kingdoms will not agree so easily. And what about the small countries? They'll just look for opportunity to claim our lands for themselves."

"True, it's not easy task, but we must not give up. For we all know that war gives birth to nothing but hatred and misery, and those bring the Damned."

"Do not fear those Harrowed creatures, my lords, for my warriors will cleanse the land of this plague!" Spoke the only woman among them, a Queen Without a Land. Legends said she was a descendant of a royal family of kingdom long since destroyed, and she didn't have a single city under her rule, but everyone respected her, for she and her people roamed this lands, cleansing any impure soul that appeared. No one dared to defy her, but not out of fear of her army, for even though every warrior under her service was worth ten, they were few, and scattered among all the kingdoms.

No, the reason no one wanted to offend her, was that her people were the only ones that knew the ancient arts required to vanquish the damned spirits of the deceased.

"It's true that you, and your people have protected us for many years, but can you really say you will be able to continue doing so? Even now, your warriors, as brave as they are, are stretched thin."

She did not speak this time, for she knew there was truth in those words.

"Our only chance for survival, is to unite under a single banner."

"But who's? Even if we chose one amongst ourselves to stand above the rest, the noble houses from our kingdoms would not agree! They would revolt!"

And so it was, that for three days, and three nights they argued. For they agreed that something had to be done, but couldn't agree on the method. And just when it looked like talks would break, an old sage appeared before them and spoke.

"Listen, oh wise and powerful monarchs! Your goal of reaching unity is noble, but not achievable. For no King, or Queen, no matter how wise or powerful, could rule the whole word."

And a great sadness befall on all gathered, for they thought their dream of peace would never come true.

"But do not weep, for there is a method to achieve peace."

"What? Please, tell us great sage, how can we save this world from ruin?"

"Each one of you shall gather their armies, wisest advisors, and wealthiest merchants. You will send them over the lands surrounding your kingdoms, and with gold coin, silver tongue, and steel sword you will take them under your rule. And so every single one of you will take part of this world, and rule it over, and you will not attack each other."

All the gathered monarchs remained silent, absorbing sage's words.

"It could work." The Queen admitted. "But what about the future? Can any of you claim that your sons will obey this rules? Or your grandsons? Or their grandsons?"

"No one can speak for those that are yet to come, but if all the kingdoms are of equal strength, even in the future they would not seek war with each other. For if one would attack, all three would stand against the aggressor."

The kings listened, and saw the wisdom in sage's words. And so it was, that they returned to their kingdoms, and gathered their armies, and merchants, and advisors. Then, they conquered all surrounding lands, with coin, words, or swords.

Many years later, all five monarchs gathered again, to speak of the state of the world.

"We have peace. It's fragile, but all small nations are united under our rule. And with how much land we gained, nobles no longer push for war." Said one of the kings.

"And without wars, these damned creatures, these Harrowed, numbers have dwindled greatly. My warriors are growing bored. Really, where will we go now, that they are gone?" Queen the joked.

"Back home." One of kings said with smile, but the Queen just shook her head. "My people have no home. We lost it long ago."

"Then build a new one." The king said. "There is still some unclaimed land. We decided, that for your service up now, we shall grant this land to you and your people."

The sage made to protest, but no one heeded his words.

And so, on this day, the Queen and her people finally had a place to call their own. But this blessing turned out to be a curse. For there were no farmers among the Queen's men. No builders, or fishers, or merchants.

They were all warriors.

They tried to call to the other kingdoms for help, but it was not enough. Some gave up on building their new home and returned to the old profession of hunting Harrowed. Some others decided to take by force, what they believed they deserved.

And the Queen grew stronger. She never put away her sword, instead she took to the one thing she knew how to do - fighting. At first she said it was to help her people, for even though wars had mostly ended, roads were full of bandits ready to plunder villages and caravans. Harrowed, even though less in number, continued to appear. From time to time, someone claiming to be a heir to the throne of one of fallen kingdoms appeared, rallying people to revolt.

She would happily agree to hunt them all down. And with every kill, she would grew faster, stronger, her senses would sharpen. After many years, she didn't even care about money, or reason anymore - she would kill just for the thrill, and the rush of power she got from it, and the more she killed, the more her bloodlust grew. She took to executing prisoners personally, just so she could enjoy this rush when her balde ended their life. She would execute those of her men that offended, or failed her.

And her hunger grew more and more.

Her hair and skin turned bone-white. Her eyes turned the colour of blood. The very land she walked upon seemed to recoil in fear and disgust. All plants withered in her kingdom, and all animals fled or died.

But the dark queen didn't care about that. The only thing she cared for was humans, and the sweet, sweet taste of their sorrow, pain, and death. Her men, those who didn't flee, or get killed, were just like her, ready to bring despair and death whenever, and wherever their Queen demanded.

Other kingdoms didn't believe the tales spoken by those who fled the Queen's lands. Until, many years later, she left her land, to bring war and ruin to all of Remnant. Her appearance still resembled that of a human, but brought terror to the hearts of any who laid their eyes upon her. Her army - no longer humans, just puppets blindly following their Queen's orders. Their bodies changed into those of wild beasts, for they were no better than them. Their skin turned pitch black, the color of the fear and despair that they brought."

Jaune ended his tale with a sigh. His friends remained silent for a few moments, absorbing the story they just heard.

"So… you mean that those people… turned into Grimm because they killed too many Harrowed and other people?"

Jaune shook his head.

"I doubt it's actually possible for a person to turn into Grimm if he absorbs too much corrupted Aura. This is just legend, after all. It isn't supposed to be treated as fact."

"So, what's the moral of the story?" Asked Ren.

"That power has a price, and that having too much of it will corrupt you, probably without you ever noticing."

"But… none of us would do the things the Queen did!" Ruby protested.

"Really?" Jaune shook his head. "Think about it - at first she only wanted to help her people out. It's only when she gathered too much power she started to get corrupted. And she didn't stop, because there was nothing, and no one, to stop her. If someone very important to you was in danger, would you resist temptation to get more power to help them? And if said that person would get hurt, or worse - how tempting would be to gain more power to get revenge. Especially if there was no immediate price to pay for it?"

More silence fell over the four Hunters. Eventually, Jaune sighed, and shook his head.

"Ok people, let's start packing. There Is only a few more formalites I need to take care of, and we are good to go. Let's not test the good sheriff's patience."

They nodded, threw away the blanket and got to work. It didn't take them long - they hadn't brought many things, and hadn't even had a chance to fully unpack. When they gathered in the tavern's main hall, Ruby nuged Jaune's arm.

"Hey, about Rias…" she swallowed, then took a deep breath and slowly let it go. "What happened with her after we… I…"

Jaune considered her for a few moments.

"She was buried in a local graveyard. It was a closed casket funeral, of course. Official version is that she was killed by the same thing that killed all those other people." Jaune sighed. "Not that far from the truth."

"Oh…" Ruby deflated.

Jaune winced, and sighed. HE really was bad at this whole comforting thing. How had Leon done it again?

Oh, yes, he didn't do it. Because the only amateur he ever worked with was Jaune himself. And that meant the young boy had little to no experience with how one should cheer up a teammate that had to kill their own friend.

Everyone he knew just kinda shrugged it off and moved on. Sometimes they would get themselves drunk, but he somehow doubted it was good idea to suggest that to Ruby. Yang wouldn't be amused if she learned about that.

"Hey Jaune?"

He looked back to his fellow team leader. Ruby considered something or a few moments, then asked in a low voice.

"Could we visit her grave?"

"Sure. You guys wanna come too?"

Nora shook her head.

"No, we will stay and guard our equipment. You two can go alone, and take your time."

Jauned nodded, and walked off towards Dragon's Maw's graveyard, an oddly quiet Ruby following close behind.

* * *

"It's here." He said around half an hour later, pointing at a fresh grave. It was simple, nothing more that a mound of upturned earth, with stone plate informing visitors who rested there. Ruby walked forward and placed one hand on the cold surface.

Jaune remained a few steps behind, watching his friend.

 _Now… what should I do?_

Ruby wasn't her usual self - it didn't take a genius to figure that out. Problem was - what could Jaune do to cheer her up? Or better yet - should he be doing anything at all?

"Hey, Rias." Ruby's small voice sounded.

Jaune sighed. No, it was better if he didn't get involved. Ruby was a Huntress, she was a strong girl. She would be fine.

"Sorry I wasn't here to see you off." The red Huntress chuckled. "I guess I just wanted to say that…" her breath hitched at the end, and Jaune tensed.

Ruby was strong, he knew it, but did that really mean that he should let her deal with it on her own? He caught himself taking a step towards her, but paused, and instead took one back.

Yes, Ruby was professional, probably more so than most of his friends at Beacon. She was also somehow the most idealistic of them, and he really had no idea how that worked, but that was beside the point. Ruby didn't needed his, or anyone else's pity. Showing it to her would be an insult.

"I… I'm sorry Rias." She whined, her voice raspy. Jaune clenched his fist.

 _Just leave her alone. It's best thing to do._

It had to be. Leon never bothered comforting any Hunter they were working with. After all, this wasn't a profession for someone who couldn't deal with a little grief.

"I… we didn't knew each other for long" Ruby continued, now openly crying, "but it was fun talking with you. Walking with you. Having fun with you."

Jaune's hand moved forward to rub the head of the crying girl on its own accord. He scowled, and drew it back. And when did he even got so close to her anyway?

"I guess… what I'm trying to say… is that I.. I.." Ruby took a deep shuddering breath, and smiled through her tears. "I'm happy I got to met you. I'll never forget you Rias - we will always be friends."

Jaune closed his eyes and for a moment, he was somewhere else. A dark, damp cave. Sword in his hand, its weight so familiar, but at that moment almost too much to lift. The calm face of man he started to consider a friend. Warm blood dripping down the black blade, staining his shaking hands.

 _Come to think about it… I never visited Clay's grave. Haven't even thought about him much since then._

He opened his eyes and looked at the kneeling and sobbing girl in front of him, and for some reason, he couldn't' help but notice how similar to Rubin she was. It wasn't so hard to imagine…

Ruby didn't even noticed when he kneeled next to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Only when he pulled her closer, she stiffened, but soon relaxed, resting her forehead on his chest. Jaune pulled her even closer, and started rubbing her head. To hell with professionalism. He'd be damned if he let a little girl cry like that.

"It's all right Ruby. It's alright." He kept whispering in her ear.

"She was my friend." She said between sobs.

"I know."

"We only knew each other for two days, but I still thought of her as a friend."

"I know."

Ruby chucked desperately. The sound made Jaune's heart ache.

"I'm so stupid. We would have had to leave soon anyway. We would have probably never seen each other again. "

"It's not stupid Ruby. It this just makes you a great person."

"But it hurt so much!" She cried out, her small fist hitting him in the chest. "I hurts so much, even though we knew each other only for a short while! Why does it have to hurt so much? Can.. can you make it stop?" She asked, her eyes pleading.

He shook his head slowly.

"No. And even if I could - I wouldn't."

"WHY!?" Her desperate cry almost broke his heart.

"Because this pain is what makes you human."

"But… but…" she clung to him desperately, " it hurts so much…"

Jaune hugged her closer.

"I know."

"You… know?" She repeated quietly, then her head shot up, her silver eyes boring into his blue ones.

"How can you know?" She asked. He made to answer, but she didn't let him. "She was my friend! And I killed her! How can you know how that feels?! Have you ever had to do something like that? Have you?!" She screamed, with much more anger than pain this time.

Jaune waited for a moment just to make sure she was done screaming, and smiled at her sadly.

"Yes Ruby. I did." He said calmly, gently stroking her hair. Ruby's mouth, already open for another tirade closed with an audible click. She just stared at him wide eyed.

"You remember the time I went to Spring valley?" She nodded, still staring at him.

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah, stupid question. So there was this one Hunter on my team, his name was Clay. We… were getting along pretty well, I guess. I never met him before, but we just kinda hit it off." He chuckled. "Well, I guess fighting for your life together does help in forming friendships."

He shook his head, then sighed.

"Anyway, as you know, the whole mission went to hell. At the end, we thought it was just the two of us left. We were wounded, exhausted, hallucinating, and surrounded by some new type of Harrowed. I was sure this was it for us. Clay, he…he decided to stay behind to buy me time to escape. He got wounded in the leg, he couldn't run. It… it was the most logical choice."

"Jaune…" Ruby whispered.

"But it didn't work. Turned out the exit was blocked by some rocks, so I went back, grabbed him and dragged his useless ass to the far end of this cave system. They had an underground river there, with some boats. We planned to use them to escape, but when we reached the last cave, we were attacked. We killed the Harrowed, but it did… something to him."

Jaune took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. Why was talking about it so hard? He was sure he was over it already.

"He told me that he saw it happen to someone else from our team, and the guy changed into a Harrowed. He asked me to help him, and we both knew there was only one way I could help him. I did just that. Helped him by allowing him die as a human."

Jaune chuckled.

"And you know what the best part is?" Ruby shook her head. "It's that the rescue party arrived only a few moments later. If I waited a bit, not even a minute, he could have lived."

"Jaune…" Ruby hugged him tightly. "I'm _so_ sorry!"

The blond Witcher chuckled.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who is supposed to do the cheering up here."

Ruby chuckled, it was weak one, but much better than the pained sobs from earlier.

"Well, we are friends. There is no reason we can't cheer each other up, right?"

Jaune smiled, and shook his head.

"I guess. Now.." he coughed to clear his throat, "are you two going to stay there, or join us?"

There was some shuffling in the nearby bushes, and Ren and Nora walked out slowly.

"We…" Ren began, but was interrupted by his partner.

"Group hug!" She cheered, dashing towards her friends. Ren, knowing better than to try and resist, allowed Nora to drag him along. She crushed both team leaders in a bearhug. Ren just shrugged, and wrapped his arms around his friends. They remained like that for almost a full minute before finally separating. All eyes focused on Ruby, who chuckled and sent them a smile.

"Thank you." She said, wiping her eyes. " I feel better now."

"You're welcome Ruby." Said Ren with a nod. "But I think we should get going. By the way, Regis was looking for you Jaune."

The blond nodded.

"Let's go then. It wouldn't do to keep our employer waiting.

* * *

"Thank you for your help Jaune." Said Regis, shaking the hand of young man. Jaune smiled and nodded.

"No problem. I couldn't ignore the fact that my favorite supplier was having trouble." Regis laughed at that.

"Speaking of which. Here are those herbs you asked for. And remember, if anyone asks…"

"I didn't get them from you. I know." Jaune said, rolling his eyes.

Regis chuckled, and turned to face the rest of team JNRR.

"And thank you all too. I know that Dragons Maw is neither big, nor important, but I really love this place. If any of you are in the area, please, don't be strangers and come over to visit."

"We will for sure, Mr. Regis!" Nora called out with a big grin. The older man nodded and

looked them over, his eyes stopping on Ruby. He sighed, and walked up, placing a hand on the little read reaper's shoulder.

"This might be too early for you, but I wanted to thank you in particular. For what you did for Rias. She was such a nice girl, she would never want to hurt anyone. So, thank you for releasing her from this torment. Even if it doesn't feel like that right now, know that you did a good thing. So, thank you, on behalf of myself, Rias, and her parents."

Ruby smiled weakly, and nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Regis. And please, give my regards to her parents. I will try to come over and say hello sometime."

After the finished their goodbyes, they boarded the cargo bullhead that was waiting for them. Not the most comfortable ride, but cheap, and would get them to Value relatively quickly.

* * *

It as already dark when they saw Vale's lights. Most of the trip had passed in silence. Not an uncomfortable one, but rather somber, all lost in their own thoughts. Jaune out a tired sigh. He should be satisfied. The job was a success, they managed to identify and hunt down their target before the situation escalated. His friends did well too. By all accounts - it was a success.

Too bad it felt so bitter.

 _Like most Witcher jobs._ Jaune mused. He really prefered for his friends to not learn lesson Ruby learned so early, but hey, what didn't kill them, will make them stronger.

He spared a quick glance at the young Huntress. She appeared lost in thought. He still could see the pain on her face, but there was no doubt. When her head rose, and her silver eyes meet his blue, there was steely determination in them.

Jaune smiled and nodded, and Ruby return the gesture.

 _Well, she will definitely grow stronger._ Thought Jaune, pulling his scroll out to check the time. They were back a bit later than he expected, it being almost ten, but they should still make it before curfew if only…

His scroll rang, the face of his partner appearing on his screen. Jaune's eyebrows narrowed. This call came as soon as they entered Vale's local network rage. A quick check revealed he had multiple pending messages - not only from his partner, but also

weiss, Yang, and even Blake of all people.

With a shrug, and under the curious gazes of his friends he accepted the call.

"Pyr? What…"

He paused, listening for a few moments.

"Pyr… Pyrrha! Calm down, you are not making much sense right now. Calm down and tell me what happ… WHAT?!"

His friends' expression turned from curious to worried. They moved closer to him, hoping to hear what going on.

"Wai.. No, wait, how?... what do you mean 'ran away'? Ok, I see. We will be landing in Vale shortly, I'll contact you as soon as we hit the ground."

"What happened?" Asked Ruby as soon as he ended the call.

Jaune groaned.

"Apparently Blake and Weiss had an argument, and Blake decided to run away."

They stared at him for a moment.

"Wait, what?" Asked Nora, surprised.

"I know, right?" Jaune groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

"I see. I assume we will be helping the others look for her?" Asked Ren, calm as always. Jaune just nodded.

"Any idea where to start?" Asked the black haired boy.

As if on cue, a massive explosion shattered the peaceful night. They turned in the direction of loud noise - only to see fire, and pillar of black smoke raising towards sky in Vale's docks.

They looked at each other, sighed, and started checking their weapons.

 _You had one job Blake!_ They thought at the same time.

* * *

 **And that wraps up Dragon's Maw arc. Team JNRR successfully completed their mission, but taste of success was far more bitter than they expected.**

 **Unfortunately, they will not get some well deserved rest, and all because of one stray cat. Poor Ruby, the one person she trusted to keep her team in check turned out to be the one to cause trouble.**

 **Until next time!**

 **If you like what I write, please consider supporting me on cr00cy.**


	37. The New Fang

**Welcome to Ch 36 of TPA**

* * *

"You think she's there?" asked Ren, reading his Stormflowers.

Jaune took a moment to observe the scene in front of him. Two bullheads were circling over Vale's dock, having just dropped off several people. He could see a third one on the ground, engines up and running, but it didn't look like it was going to take off just yet.

Jaune could also hear the sounds of battle - the clang of weapons, and gunshot grew louder by the second. He couldn't tell how many people were down there, or even who was fighting who, but it was clear that there had to be at least a few dozens of combatants.

"Not sure. It could be some kind of gang war that got way out of hand, or a maybe police operation, but knowing my luck?" He sighed, rolling his shoulders. "She is right in the middle of this mess."

"I hope she is alright…" Ruby whispered, her eyes scanning the area.

"So, what's the plan, Fearless Leader?" Asked Nora, chambering her last grenade into Magnhild.

"Ruby, you try to find some high ground, give us some support fire. Try to look for the leaders, if we take them out, the rest might just surrender. Nora, no grenades. There might be Dust in those containers, we don't want to set it off. Ren, if there are any civilians down there, prioritize taking them to safety. I'll try to grab their attention."

"All right kids, this is as close as I can get." The pilot called out, hovering over the roof of a building, almost two hundred meters from the hot zone. Jaune thanked the man, and jumped off, the rest of his team quickly following after him.

"Ruby, go ahead, but do not engage!" He called out, as soon as they landed. The red Huntress nodded, and dashed ahead.

 _I'm starting to understand why Leon hates cites so much._ Thought Jaune , leaping off the roof, and landing on road below with a roll. _They bring nothing but trouble._

* * *

Blake ducked under the swipe, and deflected the follow up attack, wincing when her counter was easily deflected. She grit her teeth and pushed on, trying her best to ignore the pain from the numerous blows she received.

In hindsight, maybe coming out here wasn't her best idea. Roman Torchwick proved a far more capable combatant than she anticipated, and with all the White Fang grunts he had at his disposal? Yeah, definitely a bad idea..

She ducked under another swipe and jumped back. Roman, with an ever present smirk, allowed her to retreat, spinning his cane in his hand.

"What's wrong Kitty-Kat? I thought you wanted to stop me? Can't do that if you just keep running away."

Blake growled, but didn't attack, instead sparing a quick glance around. Sun was giving his all to keep White Fang busy, but he simply couldn't deal with so many opponents.

 _Something is wrong._ She thought, watching as one grunts took a nasty blow to his stomach, but got up as if it was nothing. They were too good to be simple grunts. Tough, fast, and disciplined. Not the kind of soldiers one would send for a simple heist like that.

This didn't make any sense.

"What's this? Worried about your boyfriend over there? Or maybe your old friends from the White Fang?" Roman drawled, pulling a cigar from his pocket. "Don't worry, they will be fine. After all, they've been upgraded." He chuckled. "Now they are almost worth something. Still not the brightest, but at least they follow orders and don't try to think. Brothers know they were never good at it."

Blake's eyes narrowed. Upgraded? What was that supposed to mean? She spared one more glance at Sun, and the faunus he was fighting against. It wasn't that they were particularly skilled, but they were attacking relentlessly, as if they weren't concerned about the damage that they took.

Or couldn't feel it. Blake glared at the smirking criminal in front of her. What did Roman do to those people? Was this some kind of drug?

"What did you do to them?" She shouted.

Roman lifted his hand with a mock hurt expression.

"Now, slow down there Kitty. Whatever happened to your friends there, it's not my doing. They Were like that when I got them, and just between you and me?" He leaned towards her, as if to whisper some secret. "They creep the hell out of me. They just stare at you with these empty eyes, and sometimes I think that 'death to humanity!' and 'long live White Fang!" are the only things they can say." He shook his head. "Really, I never thought I'd say it, but I preferred it when they were just useless animals."

Blake growled and charged. There was no point in trying to question him, Roman would just mock her. She'd ask again when he was laid out, disarmed, and with the blade of her sword at his throat.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the flamboyant thief had different plans. Before she knew it, Blake was the one on the defensive, desperately trying to block the swift strikes of his metal cane. She gritted her teeth, looking for any opening that would let her go on the offensive, but every time she thought she found one, her attack was countered.

She growled and pushed on. There was no way some simple criminal would beat her!

Except, apparently, there was. Blake staggered after the cane hit her in the head, but grit her teeth and lashed out with her sword. It was swatted aside, and the follow up stab knocked the air out of her lungs. Before she could recover, another hit to the head knocked her down.

"Well, it was fun Kitty." Said Roman, pointing the barrel of his gun at her. "But I think our little dance will have to end here. But don't worry, I'll send your little friend to accompany you shortly."

Blake's mind went blank. She was going to die here, killed by some crook? A bitter laugh escaped her lips. So this was it? Her crusade for a better world would end like this?

A pained yelp from behind caused her to clench her fist. So she failed. She failed miserably. Not only that, she dragged an innocent bystander into it, and now he was going to die too. She looked up at man who was about to end her life, and made a decision. If she was going to die, she would at least wipe that annoying smirk off of his face.

And then Roman staggered, his smug expression replaced by one of shock and pain. The sound of the shot reached her ears moments later, and she knew it had to be something high caliber. Much higher than anything she, Sun, or any of White Fang had.

Like, for example, a custom made, high-impact sniper rifle.

The second shot hit the criminal in the chest, pushing him back, but he managed to hold his ground. Roman cursed, but before he could do anything else, a green blur slammed into him. They exchanged series of lighting fast attacks, and Lie Ren jumped back, landing next to the downed Blake.

He spared one glance at the faunus girl, and not seeing any visible injures, focused back on enemy in front of him.

Roman didn't look amused.

"And what do we have here?" He trailed off, looking young Hunter over. "Another hero wannabe?" He scoffed and readied his weapon. "Look at you, knight in shining armor, coming to save a day. So eager to help his friend, that he forgot to ask himself the simple question." Roman smirked and pointed his cane and the black haired boy. "Who is going to help you?"

Ren smirked back.

"Nora."

Roman blinked.

"What?" Was all he managed to say, before an explosion threw him back. Nora landed next to her friend, winking at the still downed Blake, and rushed off to help Sun.

"Ok, you know what? Now I'm pissed." Roman Torchwick said, getting up and dusting himself off. "You kids wanna play a heroes? Well, then do you part, and die uselessly!" He roared, firing from his cane. Ren just barely managed to grab Blake and dash out of the way.

"Stay here and recover. I'll hold him off." He said. Blake gripped his hand.

"Wait! You can't fight him alone, he's too strong!"

Ren shrugged.

"I don't intend to win, just hold him off. We called for backup before we got there. Plus, I doubt he's going to give us a choice."

Another shot flying their way proved that the green ninja was right. Ren duked under it, and dashed forward, firing from his machine guns. Roman quickly realized that defending was pointless out in the open. With only his cane, he had no chance to block the storm of bullets that flew his way.

Unfortunately for Ren, his pistols didn't do much damage, the low caliber rounds serving more as a distraction than a means to win a fight.

Then again, distracting the thief was all he needed to do. He was certain that Nora, with the help of the monkey faunus, could easily dispatch the White Fang grunts. All he needed to do was to buy enough time for them to finish the fight, for Blake to recover, or for Jaune to come to his aid.

 _We really have to work on his mobility._ The black haired boy thought, ducking under a swipe and countering with a kick to the stomach with his own. Ren blocked two more blows, fired a few rounds at Roman and used the moment of distraction to retreat again. Just far enough to be out of the thief's melee range, but close enough to close back in if his opponent wanted to use his gun.

It was a simple strategy, but one that had worked well for him numerous times. Now all he needed to do was to stay calm, not take any unnecessary risk, and everything would be…

A pained scream caused him to look back, his eyes widening at what he saw. Nora, slumped down near a container, and a massive man with two curved swords standing over her. His first instinct was to rush to help his friend, but he knew that leaving Romen behind his back was a bad idea.

Ren cursed, and turned to his opponent - right in time to catch a cane in the face. The blow sent him flying back, but he managed to roll and jump to his feet. Unfortunately, he had no time to react to blast from thief's cane, that blew him back again. This time ninja landed hard, skidding a few meters and finally stopping with a groan.

"You kids are really annoying, you know that?" Said Roman, walking calmly towards him, smirk back on his face. "You come here, picking fights you can't win, thinking that you'll somehow pull it off if you believe hard enough. But guess what kid?" The criminal stopped next to downed boy, a cruel smirk on his face

"In real life, you will not beattronger opponent just thanks to power of friendship." He lifted his cane, popping its barrel open. "Let me give you some advice kiddo. Next time…" no one learned what advice Roman had to give. A high caliber sniper round hit him in the leg, stumbling the thief. He growled, rolled and aimed his cane at the red figure standing atop one of the cranes.

A pink explosion threw him a few meters back, his back slamming into and cracking the wall of one of warehouses.

Ren jumped to his feet, shot a quick smile towards his partner and focused back on the downed criminal.

"I'm listening." He said, calmly walking forward.

Roman looked up at him, and scowled." You know what? Fuck it."

He quickly scanned the battlefield, and he certainly didn't liked what he saw. Most of the White Fang grunts he brought with him laid unmoving. From nearly twenty combatants, only six were still standing. Well, that was to be expected. Even though they had a greatly increased tolerance to pain, and increased strength and endurance, they still were just simple grunts with little to no training and no Aura. Against two trained Aura users? It was honestly a miracle they had lasted this long.

 _Especially against her…_ he thought, eying the ginger girl. She was swinging her oversized mallet around, knocking faunus left and right, laughing maniacally all the while. He noticed one especially brave, or stupid, faunus trying to jump at her.

Nora slammed the butt of her hammer into his stomach, and with one solid kick, sent him to the ground. Roman actually felt a small twinge of sympathy for the poor soul when the ginger demon raised her hammer and brought it down on the man's knee, giggling all the time. He looked back at the black haired boy and sighed.

"I don't know who is crazier. Her, or you for sticking with her."

He just shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

Roman chuckled.

"I guess not." His hand shot forward, throwing some dirt into the young Hunter's eyes. Ren cursed, and Roman smirked, rushing to his feet, his weapon already falling down on the teen's head.

A black ribbon wrapped around metal cane, tugging it back. Roman cursed, and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade that sliced into spot he stood at just a moment ago.

"Need some rest?" Asked Blake with a small smirk, standing next to Ren. He just chuckled and rolled his shoulders.

"No." He lifted his weapons."Lets go." They both dashed forward.

* * *

Jaune peeked around the corner of the building he was hiding behind. He tensed when Nora got slammed into container by some bulky faunus. He could hear Ren cry out, first the name of his friend, then in pain. Even though he couldn't see his teammate, he could guess what happened. Ren, holding off Torichwing on his own, got distracted by Nora's scream and got hit. The blond tensed, ready to run off, but thankfully Nora didn't need help. Her hammer smashed into the knee of the faunus standing over her, sending him to the ground. Another hit, to the head, knocked him out for good.

Not wasting a second, the ginger girl transformed her weapon into grenade launcher and fired a single round somewhere he couldn't see, then switched it back to a hammer and rushed off into the melee. It looked like she gave up on trying to be gentle, ever strike breaking legs and arms of faunus terrorist.

 _Good._ Jaune thought _This is no time to play around._

With a change in strategy, it looked like Nora and the monkey faunus she was fighting alongside with had their fight under control. It was a bit strange that simple grunts could hold up against two trained Aura users so long, especially considering that they apparently didn't have Aura of their own. But that was a question they could find the answer for after the fight ended.

What was a more pressing matter for Jaune, was to figure out what the hell was happening with Eclipse. Ever since they landed, his black sword had starting to act strangely. No, even before that - ever since he woke up this morning at the tavern in Dragon's Maw. The constant drain that he grew so accustomed to felt somewhat… different. He could still feel its presence, but it didn't feel as… heavy as it used to.

Granted, it wasn't something that happened over night. The strain on his Aura had grown maybe not weaker, but more mangable over the past few months. He did recall Leon saying it was something one gets used to, so Jaune had assumed it was just him getting accustomed to his black sword, and ignored the change.

But now it was different. Eclipse felt alive, constantly vibrating, as if it was ready to jump out of scabbard on its own accord. Jaune never believed the stories that black swords grew sentient over time, thanks to all the souls they absorbed, but this was definitely something new.

He didn't like new things. They tended to mean trouble.

 _Ok, think. What could have cause this? And what could it mean?_

The blond strained his memory, keeping a close watch on fight happening in front of him. He wanted to join in and help his friends, but he was hesitant. If something unexpected happened, it could put everyone in danger.

That, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. This strange gut feeling he sometimes felt when approaching a Ghoul den, or a Wraith spawning point.

Had Leon mentioned something about this?

 _He… might have._ Jaune winced. He loved Leon like a brother, and was eternally grateful for the older man training his young and useless self up, but he couldn't ignore the fact Leon wasn't exactly the best teacher. At least not when it came to details. Sure, if it was something necessary to survive, Leon would drill it into Jaune mercilessly. But everything else?

Jaune winced, the memory of how much he freaked out after his first rebound still fresh in his mind. When he asked Leon about it, the older man just shrugged, and said, 'yeah, that happens from time to time'.

 _Ok, so this can't be something too serious. Think Jaune, what did he say about black swords…_

The blond strained his memory, recalling old lessons. Aura sensitive, kills Harrowed, Awakening…

His eyes widened.

 _He did mention there is another awakening, but it's something I have to 'grow into'._

He spared a glance at Eclipse, still cheated at his hip. Could it be it? Jaune shook his head. He would have to ask Leon, or Peter, later. Now, he had a fight to focus on.

A fight that was apparently almost over.

Only one White Fang grunt was still standing, but the monkey faunus in the white shirt seemed to be determined to fix that in a very fast, and brutal way. Roman Torchwick didn't fare much better. He might be a seasoned criminal, but faced with three trained Hunters, with sniper support, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Everything looked to be under control. He noticed the bullheads flying over them pull off, the last White Fang grunt falling down after a nasty hit to head, and Torchwick flew and hit the ground hard, after Nora's grenade hit him in the chest. It was, by all accounts, over.

Then why Jaune couldn't shake off the feeling that something was very, very wrong?

 _Could it be Harrowed?_ _It shouldn't be possible for one to spawn here without anyone noticing. Unless it's a Wraith that someone didn't deal with properly, and it's only now coming back..._

T blond scanned battlefield again, trying to find anything that was out of place. Could Roman had some more men hidden somewhere? No, he would have sent them to fight earlier. Could he be waiting for reinforcements to come? It was a possibility, but it looked like it would be over before…

The roar of engines broke the blond out of his thoughts. He looked up, and saw a bullhead speeding towards them. It flew over dock, barley slowing down, and dropped eight figures.

Gray uniforms and Grimm mask, marked them as White Fang members. But, judging by their equipment, they weren't simple grunts. They wore simple, but sturdy looking breastplates, greaves, and gauntlets. They were armed with a variety of weapons - swords, maces, hammers, and spears, but Jaune could see handguns on their belts.

 _Ok, so he did have reinforcement waiting somewhere._

Jaune grabbed the hilt of Ellipse, eyes narrowing. It was vibrating much harder now. What was that supposed to mean? Black swords were supposed to be tools to deal with Harrowed, so why was his so obviously reacting to several faunus?

The newcomers didn't waste a second and rushed to the aid of their… boss? Acquaintance? Definitely not friend, if the scowls on all their faces were any indication.

Jaune took a deep breath, and reached for Crocea Mors, but didn't draw it. He really didn't think himself superstitious, or crazy, but he could swear he _felt_ a disappointed whine from Eclipse.

 _Well, if you insist._

With a resigned sigh, the young Witcher let go of his ancestors' sword, and drew the one he forged with his own hand, the black blade awakening before it even left its scabbard.

Jaune watched it for a few moments, then smiled.

 _Lets go, partner._

* * *

"You certainly took your time. I called you like ten minutes ago." Roman growled, dusting off his suit. It was ruined, but he couldn't get changed right now, so he had to make do with what he had.

"Silence, human. We come to aid our Brothers and Sisters, not filthy scum like you." One of Fang growled back. Roman just rolled his eyes. Really, why did he have to work with these fanatics?

Oh, yes. Because some fire bitch said so, and he wasn't crazy enough to say no.

"Whatever. Let's just clean this up and get the hell out of here. The heist is busted anyway."

White Fang soldier glared at him, but didn't say anything, instead focusing on the young Hunters standing in front of them. He snarled when he spotted two faunus among them.

"Traitors!" He roared. "How dare you aid human scum?!"

"What…" The blond faunus standing next to Blake began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Silence!" The burly faunus drew his sword and pointed it at the gathered teens. "Brothers and Sisters! Here stand instruments of human oppression! Let's show them the might of the White Fang! KIll them all!"

Both groups clashed with each other a second later.

* * *

Jaune sprinted towards the fierce melee, weaving between stray bullets, a fierce scowl on his face.

 _Those blasted, idealistic idiots! What the hell are they doing?!_

The eight White Fang soldiers were better equipped, and much better trained than the previous grunts. But it was still not on par with where his friends were, nor explain why they were struggle as much as they did. He saw the monkey faunus get knocked down, and Blake disengaging with her opponent and rushing to aid the downed teen.

 _Just shoot him! Why carry a damn gun if you don't use it!?_

Unfortunately, the faunus girl didn't hear his silent plea. She rushed in, blocking the massive hammer at the last second. The Fang soldier grunted, and pushed his weapon with both hands. Whether or not he had enough strength to overpower the Huntress didn't really matter, because two more quickly closed in on the immobilized girl. She managed to jump back in time to avoid the sword coming from her left, but it left her open to the spear that caught her in the arm.

Jaune cursed, and forced himself to not rush in. It wouldn't do to be out of breath when he join a fight. Instead, he observed his opponents.

 _Nine people. Judging by wounds, only Roman has Aura. The faunus were arewell trained, disciplined. High pain tolerance, one of them is fighting with broken arm. Almost certainly under the influence of some kind of drug._

His grip on Eclipse tightened. Even though they were exhausted and outnumbered, his friends shouldn't have such a hard time. The reason they were struggling was as clear as day.

They were holding back. None of them wanted to risk seriously wounding or killing anyone.

The blond cursed, and focused on the melee. He was close now, but the melee was so fierce no one noticed him. He still had the element of surprise, he had to decide how to use it.

Go for Roman? The thief was probably still the biggest threat, if only because of his Aura. But then again, Jaune wasn't so sure he could take him out, even with a surprise attack.

Go for big wolf faunus that was apparently the leader of the newly arrived group? That one should be much easier to deal with, and taking out the leader might cause chaos in the enemy ranks. But it might also drive them into a frenzy, and push them to do something stupid to avenge their leader.

He'd rather not have one of his friend get crippled or killed by fanatical terrorist performing some ridiculous suicidal assault.

His choice was made for him, when he saw the monkey faunus get knocked down again. His opponent, probably a lion faunus, judging by the tail, raised his sword with a maniacal grin.

"Die, traitor!"

Jaune cursed, and ran full speed ahead. But he knew he was too far to each them in time. So he did the one thing he really didn't want to.

He roared.

Him suddenly announcing his presence had the desired effect, with all combatants taking a second to check out whose side the new arrival was on. The faunus he was charging at cursed, and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the slash that would have opened up his stomach.

"Oh. come on, another one?" Roman cried out, looking up as if asking the heavens why they were doing this to him.

"What's up with you kids, playing heroes? Shouldn't you be doing something productive? Like, I don't know, helping old ladies cross streets, or something?"

Jaune moved to stand beside the wounded boy, doing his best to keep all combatants in sight.

"Can you move?" He asked.

"I think so." The blond faunus pushed himself up, using his staff as support.

Jaune spared a single glance at him and winced.

 _Ok, this one is out of the fight._

"Back off. I'll take care of the rest."

"You sure man? I can still help."

Jaune winced. As much as it pained him to say it, he agreed with Roman.

He didn't need anyone playing hero right now.

"With a busted leg, and low Aura, I don't think you will do much good."

The faunus watched him for a moment, then sighed.

"I guess you are right." He said, slowly backing off.

Jaune relaxed a bit. One problem taken care of. Time to focus on the remaining nine.

Roman, who was watching him patiently up until now, smirked and started clapping.

"Bravo! True hero right here. Sending the wounded comrade away and taking his place on the field of battle. Now, tell me kid. What makes you think you will do any better?"

Jaune didn't respond, content to let the crook talk. If Roman wanted to waste time, who was he to stop him?

"Nothing to say? Don't tell me you're scared." The thief laughed and shook his head. "No, of course not. Such a brave young knight knows no fear! Just charging straight into the action, not a care in the the world. Or a thought in his head." The metal cane shot up, Roman firing without wasting a second. Jaune though was already in motion, dodging to the right, away from the faunus charging at him with a roar.

A roar that was cut short when Eclipse removed his head.

Jaune sidestepped the falling body, that traveled a few more steps on momentum alone, before falling to the ground with a soft thud.

There was a moment of silence, where no one moved. The one to break it was the wolf faunus, whos turned to Roman, and grabbed him by the collar.

"You said they wouldn't dare spill blood! How dare you lie to us?!"

"Well obviously, this one is different. Now shut up, and help me take care of him."

The fight started soon after, with the Fang leader and Roman charging at Jaune, and the remaining warriors engaging the Beacon students.

Jaune's hand twitched toward his belt, and the several small bottles he had there, but he refrained from pulling any. Drinking Elixirs in the middle of combat was a bad idea.

* * *

Ruby ducked under the swipe of a mace and spun her scythe. Her attack was blocked, and she had to jump back to avoid the spear thrusting at her face. She bit her lip. This fight wasn't going well. It's not that they opponents were stronger. It was just that they were so fierce, and just wouldn't stay down, no matter how many times they knocked them to the ground.

She quickly scanned the battlefield, her eyes falling on the motionless body lying in a pool of blood.

She quickly averted her gaze. She could almost feel the red, sticky liquid covering her hands, the intense metallic scent…

She shook her head to dispel these thoughts. She had a fight to finish.

She blocked the sword sailing at her head, and dashed back, avoiding the mace aimed at her head. Thankfully, Jaune managed to draw the two strongest fighters away from them. She spared a quick glance at her fellow team leader. He was struggling, but it didn't look like he was going to get taken out. Neither of his two opponents were as aggressive as they were before.

Ruby supposed it made sense. Jaune proved he wasn't going to hold back. At all.

Ruby shook her head and scowled. What was she doing, getting distracted in the middle of the fight? She needed to focus, otherwise…

She noticed motion out of the corner of her eye. She reacted instantly, spinning around, and pulling the trigger of Crescent Rose. She felt resistance when the curved blade cut through something. Then there was pained grunt, and something wet and hot sprayed on her face.

She froze, when she felt familiar metallic scent reach her nostrils. Her wide eyes stared at the faunus in front of her, his breastplate cut open, red liquid leaking out.

Ruby trembled, her mind going blank. She did it again. She killed someone again. And this time she had no excuse that it was to help them, because they were turning into a monster. No, she killed normal person. She was murderer, a monster.

She barely registered the man raising his hand, curved blade singing in the moonlight. She heard a strange, wet sound, and more blood sprayed on her. She stared at the man who was about to end her life.

He stared at her. Then his eyes left her, and focused on the two blades poking out of his stomach. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, something yanked him back, and Ruby looked in pair of green, concerned eyes.

"Friend Ruby! Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"That great! Please stand by, while I dispose of the remaining threats."

With that, Penny Polendina, ran off to join the melee.

Ruby slumped to her knees, just staring ahead, her head blank. She slowly looked at her hands. They were covered in blood. She started shaking again, something was flowing out of her eyes.

She barely registered the pained screams all around her.

* * *

Jaune sighed, slumping onto a crate. Hsi friends were under medical care, the surviving White Fang cuffed, and being taken care of by the police. With the help of the strange girl that claimed to be Ruby's friend, they were able to quickly push back Roman and the Fang warriors.

It surprised him how… efficient she was. But hey, he wouldn't complain. It was nice knowing that there were more people his age ready to take things seriously.

He sighed again,and got up. He had one more thing to take care of.

Ruby sat where he last saw her - wrapped in her cloak, with arms around her knees.

"Hey Ruby." He called out."

She looked at him and smiled weakly.

"Hey Jaune."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Just a bit tired. It was long day, afterall." She chuckled weakly. The blond chuckled too, and they both fell silent.

 _Damn, I'm really bad at this._

Jaune thought, trying to figure what to say.

"So… what happened earlier? You kinda froze there. It could have been bad if that girl didn't show up."

Ruby tensed, and Jaune winced. Yeah, he really was bad at this whole cheering up thing.

It was much easier with his sisters. Then again, none of his sisters almost died, and almost killed a person.

"Listen, I know you are shocked, but I want you to know you did a good job. This whole thing was mess, far out of our paygrade, so…"

"How many?" She asked suddenly.

He blinked, surprised.

"How many people have you killed? That faunus back there wasn't your first, right?"

Jaune sighed.

"No, he wasn't. And I can't say how many I've killed. I don't keep a count." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Listen, I…"

"It's ok." She said, slapping her cheeks. "It's just another part of a Hunter's job I need to learn, right?" She shot him a smile.

"I'm fine now." She got up and stretched. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a teammate that I need to scold for running away. See you later."

Jaune watched her walk away, then sighed. She was not fine, they both knew it. Hopefully, someone at Beacon will be able to help her deal with it.

Brothers knew he was bad at it.

* * *

 **And here it is. Ruby got her own trauma to deal with, Jaune shows he is more than willing to dirty his hands, and the White Fang got themselves some stronger soldiers.**

 **Also, it occurred to me that FF net is not allowing me to write certain words/phrases. So you might noticed some strange messages at the end of AN's in the past few chapters. So, the thing is, there's this website, that starts with 'Pat' and ends with 'reon'. You can go there, and support artists you like. Now, I do not consider myself an artist, but I did make my account there (same name as here). So if you like what I wrote, and have dollar or two to spare, you could consider supporting me there. It would mean a lot.**

 **See you all next week.**


	38. Making Progress

**Welcome to Ch 37 of TPA**

* * *

"So, that's what happened?" Ozpin hummed, tapping his desk. Jaune just nodded, and took a sip of the tea he was given at the beginning of the meeting. It was cold by now, but still pretty good.

"This is certainly troubling news. It's a shame Torchwick managed to escape, but at least we have confirmation he is indeed working with the White Fang."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that.

"You suspected it before?"

Ozpin nodded.

"Leon was able to acquire intel suggesting as much. We knew they were working with a human, or humans, form Vale underworld, but we weren't sure with whom. Though I must say I'm surprised. Roman Torchwick is not someone I would picture as a faunus sympathizer."

Jaune chuckled.

"He is most definitely not. From what I saw, they weren't exactly friendly with each other. It might have been just nerves, but I somehow doubt it."

"I see." Ozpin remained silent for a few moments, then sighed. "Now, onto another matter. The job you took in Dragon's Maw. Is there any chance it was connected to what happened in Spring Valley?"

Jaune remained silent for a long while, considering his answer. Finally, he slowly shook his head.

"I don't think so. It appeared that Rias was a regular Parasite-type Harrowed. The test me and Regis ran didn't show the presence of the toxin used before in her, or any of the victims' bodies. Even if she was his creation, he must have used a different method."

"I see. Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Arc. You are free to go."

Jaune smiled and got up.

"Thank you. Good night, sir."

"Good night to you too." Ozpin said with nod, checking something on the terminal on his desk. Judging by his frown, it wasn't anything good.

 _Well, not my business._ Jaune thought, stepping into elevator. _And hopefully it will stay that way._

* * *

"So?" Ruby asked, arms crossed, glaring down at her teammates. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"I…" Blake began, but was quickly interrupted.

"No excuses." Ruby demanded. "I want you to give me one, just _one_ good reason to run away from your team. And Brothers help me, if you say you thought we wouldn't accept you because you're a faunus, you _will_ regret it."

"I said the same thing…" Weiss muttered, but paused under her team leader's glare. Just when did she learn to do that?

"Well.." Blake began, trying to figure out a good answer. She vaguely recalled having a lot of good reasons just two days ago. Somehow, none of them looked so good now.

Ruby stared at her for a few moments, the sighed and shook her head.

"Really, what were you thinking? I get you might have been angry, or scared, or something, but running away? And then-" she waved her hands in the air, looking for words, then paused, let out a long, tired sigh, and, to everyone's surprise, hugged the black haired girl. "I was so scared, Blake. When I heard that you ran away, and then when we found you at the docks, and Torchwick was aiming at you, I thought you were a goner…" her breath hitched, and the young girl bit back a sob. "Please, Blake, don't ever do that again. You are my friend. _Our_ friend. And losing friends hurts."

Blake remained motionless for a few moments, then slowly, carefully, hugged her team leader back.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," she said finally. "I just got angry. And scared." She chuckled. " I guess it's one of my bad habits. Running away from my problems."

"It's ok." Ruby said, pulling back. "Just remember that we are a team. Whatever we do, we do it together. There might be times we argue, but that doesn't mean we hate each other."

The black haired girl chuckled.

"I guess. When we started arguing, I didn't even try to understand Weiss' points, I just got angry, and overreacted." She looked up at the heiress. "Sorry about that."

Weiss nodded.

"Apology accepted. I guess I owe you one too. What I said was too harsh. I apologize."

Blake slumped.

"Well, it turned it wasn't untrue."

"Still, I could have handled it better."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, and jumped to her feet.

"All right, team RWBY is back on track! Now, if you will excuse me, I have to take care of my baby." She paused in front of the doors, considered something for a few moments and turned to her team.

"If any of you try to run away when I'm gone, I _will_ shoot you with Crescent Rose. And I'm gonna use explosive ammo."

* * *

Ruby wasn't too surprised when someone walked into the Beacon foundry. She was only one here, the technician that usually supervised place knew her well enough already that he let her in despite the late hour.

She wasn't surprised as this newcomer sat next to her either. Yang always could find her, though she hadn't tried to hide this time.

Well, not too hard.

She didn't do, or say anything for nearly thirty minutes, allowing Ruby to work in peace. Only when younger girl put away all her tools, cleaned her hands and let out a long, tired breath, did Yang get up from her seat, walk up to her younger sister and hug her from behind. She didn't ask anything, just held her like that.

Well, Yang always could read Ruby's mood. The young huntress knew her sister would always be there for her, always supporting her. And she absolutely would find out what was bothering her younger sister, no matter how much Ruby tried to pretend everything was ok.

That's why she didn't even bothered trying to hold back, and let her tears flow freely, all the while clinging to her older sister.

* * *

"So, that's what happened, huh?" Yang mused, gently stroking her sister's hair. She felt her nod, head still pressed against her chest.

"So, it turned out that the Harrowed was possessing this Rias girl? Something like that is possible?"

Ruby pulled back, and sent her a sad smile.

"Form what Jaune said, there are types of Aberrations that can do things like that. But they can't just mind-control people, they just… find a fresh corpse, and… use it." her breath hitched a bit at the end, and Yang pulled her back into a hug.

"I see. I'm sorry sis, that I wasn't there with you."

Ruby shook her head.

"Nah, it's ok. I dread to imagine what would have happened if Weiss and Blake were left alone. Turns out you were the only responsible person here." Ruby sighed "That's kinda sad…"

Yang stared at her sister for a few moments, then grinned.

"Oh, what was that, dearest sister of my?" She asked with a sweet voice, pinching Ruby's cheeks.

"I'mmmmmm soorry! Yuuuuo are the beeeest!" The young Huntress cried out.

"Of course I am." She patted her sister's head. "So, how are you holding up? I saw you freeze back at the dock. I honestly freaked out. Good thing Penny showed up when she did. "

Ruby slumped.

"Sorry about that. I guess I just got scared."

Yang blinked.

"Scared? You? Ruby you took out a whole gang robbing a shop, all by yourself! You kill Grimm like no one's business, and you want me to believe you got scared by one White Fang goon? Sure, they might be a bit stronger, but come on!"

Ruby chuckled nervously.

"No, I wasn't scared of him."

"Then what happened?"

Ruby shuffled nervously, not being able to meet her sister's eyes. Finally, she mumbled something quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"Blood. He surprised me, and I slashed him, and he started bleeding. For a moment, I thought I killed him, and then I remembered Rias, and… I panicked."

Yang sighed, and hugged her sister again.

"Well, you are safe, so it's fine as far as i'm concerned." She chuckled darkly. "Guess we have to thank Jaune and Penny for that. But damn, you make the weirdest friends, Ruby. Jaune, I wasn't expecting him to kill those guys just like that, but I can understand. Four years in the Wilds, he had to see some pretty dark stuff. But Penny?" Yang shook her head. "I was surprised she could fight, let alone like that."

Ruby winced at the memory. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that both Jaune and Penny were ready to kill another person like that. Sure, the White Fang were bad guys, and they wouldn't hesitate to harm, or even kill any of them if given the chance, but still, it shocked her. More so the fact that neither Jaune, nor Penny, looked actually angry, or furious. She always thought people killed others only when they were really bad people, or if they got so angry they lost control.

But both of her friends looked calm, and completely unbothered by the corpses they left behind.

And the blood.

Jaune had quite a bit of it on him, and acted like he didn't even notice it until Yang pointed it out. He just shrugged, and said he was used to it.

"I guess. But I'm fine now Yang." She got up, and stretched. "Anyway, let's go back. We have class tomorrow."

Yang watched her sister for a few moments, then let a small smile show on her lips. Ruby might not be fine just now, but her sister was strong. She would pull through this.

"I guess." Yang sighed dramatically. "It's late, and I need my beauty sleep."

* * *

Jaune massaged his chin, lost in thought. When Yang approached him this morning, he half expected her to punch him in the face for putting Ruby trough all of this drama. But she just stared him in the eyes for a few moments, before lightly tapping his chin with her fist.

"Next time." She said, and walked off.

Jaune stared at her for a few moments, then just shrugged. He did let Ruby get hurt afterall. Not physically, but an older siblings had certain privileges.

Sucker punching someone responsible for their little sibling getting hurt was among them. As an older brother Jaune knew, and accepted it.

Surprisingly, the little red Huntress didn't seem to appreciate her older sister's concerns, and was glaring at the blond bombshell through the whole breakfast.

"Ruby, just let it go already."

"It doesn't matter! You can't go around punching people like that for no reason!" Ruby whined.

Yang just shook her head.

"But I didn't punch him. And beside, you had a bad time because of him. That's a good reason."

"It's not! I bet Jaune wouldn't punch people for no reason like that. Right?"

Jaune paused, mouth open and sandwich mere millimeters away. He considered the question for a moment, then shrugged.

"I wouldn't punch them." He confirmed and went back to his breakfast.

"You see? You should take his example." Ruby pouted, and Yang grinned.

"Hmmm, maybe next time I will." She said winking at her fellow blond, who for whatever reason just choked on his food.

Well, Yang could hardly blame him. They did exchanged notes on how to deal with people that hurts your siblings. And she must admit, she was impressed.

"A-anyway, you guys have anything planned for after class?"

"I have a session with Miss Goodwitch." Ruby said.

"Well, I think I will just stay in the dorm. Catch up on some reading, study a bit." Yang said with a shrug, taking a bite of her apple.

A few moments passed in utter silence.

The blonde brawler sighed and looked over at the seven people staring at her as if she had just grown horns, or kitty ears.

"What?"

"You.. want to study? Of your own free will?" Ruby asked carefully.

"Well, yeah. Gotta keep my scores up. Beside, Weiss-cream would force me to do it anyway." She said with a shrug.

The heiress sniffed, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

"They grow up so fast…"

"Hey!"

Ruby mirrored her partner.

"I know right? Our little girl is growing big and responsible. Soon she might not need us anymore."

"Not you too, sis!"

Weiss shook her head.

"Now, let's not go too far. I'm afraid we're stuck with her for the rest of our lives."

"You bet you are!" Yang grinned, eyeing her sister subtly. She wasn't as tense as she was yesterday. Her laughter was a bit more natural, smile a bit honest. It looked like her sister would pull through this after all.

Good. Otherwise she might have to really take a page or two from Jaune's book. She was sure she still had it hidden somewhere.

* * *

"So, that's what happened, huh…" Leon nodded to himself, lost in thought.

Jaune was fairly sure that his teacher shouldn't be wondering school halls like this.

Then again, no one seemed to care. At least, no one important.

"So yeah, I was wondering what that was about. Is it possible that Eclipse… I don't know, changed somehow?"

Leon shrugged.

"It didn't changed at all. It's you who changed."

Jaune blinked.

"Me?"

"Yeah. To be more precise, you synchronized yourself with it. Or got used to it, whatever you prefer. The point is, you stopped rejecting it."

Jaune just stared at his teacher.

"What do you mean by rejecting?"

Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What about the drain? You can still feel the pull on your Aura, but it's not bothering you anymore, right?"

Jaune considered his teacher's words for a few moments, then nodded.

"Yes. I can still feel it, but.. well, it's still there but…" Jaune pause for a moment, then smiled. "I guess it's like that time when I crafted it, and started carrying it around. I was conscious about it being there, it's weight on my belt, it bumping against my legs. But over time, I just get used to it. Carrying it become normal. Natural."

Leon smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's like that. You get used to it pulling on your Aura, so now the flow can go both ways. This means that any rebound you get might be stronger, but also will end faster. And it will warn you about Harrowed."

"Wait, what? How?"

Leon shrugged.

"Not sure about the details, but it's something you will recognize when it happens. If you go near a place with a high concentration of corrupted Aura, it will start acting out. It might, for example, heat up, or cool down, or any number of other things."

"Like vibrating?"

"Yeah. So, that's how you figured something was off? It started acting out on the job in Dragon's Maw?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No. When I was at the docks. It was weak at first, but got really noticeable when those reinforcements came in."

Leon remained silent for a few moments, then sighed.

"Ok, I probably shouldn't be telling you this… Well scratch that, I _definitely_ shouldn't be telling you this, but I was running around the city lately, busting the Fang's hideouts, and I found a few…I guess you could call them laboratories."

Jaune could feel the hair stand on his head. He had a very bad feeling about this.

"Laboratories?" He asked, dreading what he might hear next.

"Yeah. And… I think they got ahold of _his_ notes."

Jaune didn't ask who Leon meant. He didn't have to.

Instead, he took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. Then repeated this two more times, and finally forced himself to relax his tense muscles.

"I see. Thank you for telling me."

"Sure. But Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything reckless. You're student now, live your life a bit. Leave the dirty stuff to old timers like me."

The blond smiled and shook his head.

"How can you call yourself an old-timer if you don't even know how old you are?"

Leon shrugged.

"I'm older than you, that's for sure. But seriously, Jaune. Don't let vengeance ruin what you have."

Jaune sighed.

"What, you telling me to forget and forgive?"

Leon choked.

"What? Hell no. If you ever meet the bastard, murderize him. But call me first, I want to take a few stabs myself, if possible. No, what I'm trying to say, is to not let the bastard control your life. Don't chase after him, live your life. I have a feeling he will show up in front of you sooner or later."

Jaune smiled.

"I guess." The blond got up from his seat, and stretched." So, what are you gonna to do now? My team and I planned to do some training, if you want you could…"

Leon sighed.

"I would love to, but I still need to visit Oz. And shower. And hit the cafeteria. And the bedroom. Not necessary in that order." Leon's eyes narrowed and he looked Jaune over, his expression serious. "One more thing. Since you synced with your sword, you should be able to perform a full awakening."

"A full awakening? I think you mentioned that once, but I don't remember the details."

"Well, it's not that different from a normal awakening, it's just that it's… Tell me, have you ever killed a person with Eclipse before?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No, yesterday was the first time."

"And what did you feel?"

Jaune considered his answer for a few seconds.

"I don't think there was anything special. I kinda expected to get flooded by their emotions, but it didn't happen."

Leon hummed and nodded.

"So, you haven't achieve it yet. Listen, it's hard to property explain, but a full awakening basically allows you to cut through Aura. Any Aura, not only corrupted."

"That sounds… powerful. What's the price?"

Leon smiled.

"It eats your own Aura like crazy. At most, you can maintain it for only a few seconds. Enough for one, two good hits."

"So how do I learn to do it? Besides lots of practice?"

"Balance."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"What?"

"You have to be in balance. Mostly mentally, but also physically. Strong mind and strong body. You have to be determined, dedicated. Have a clear, single goal in mind. And most importantly - you have to know yourself. Fully realize, and accept, the person known as Jaune Arc. With all his virtues and vices."

The blond Witcher considered his words, then smiled and nodded. That sounded like something pulled out of some cheap heroic story, but hey, if Leon of all people said he had to find balance? Yeah, Jaune was willing to take his old teacher's word for it.

"Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing in my free time. Thanks for the talk, Leon."

"Anytime."

* * *

Jaune's back slammed into the tree. The blond wished nothing more than to just curl up in a ball, and lay there for approximately eternity.

Alas, a massive warhammer sailing towards his face forced him to move his battered body. He somehow managed to slip under the swing, but before he could even think about attacking, a bronze shield slammed into his side, throwing him back to the ground.

"You ok there, Jaune?" Asked Pyrrha with a sweet smile.

"I.. hate.. you.. all." He managed to choke out, between labored gasps.

"Ooooow, you hear that Renny? He said he loves us!" Nora cooed.

"...really… hate… you."

Jaune tried to get up, but decided it was too much of a effort, and just collapsed again.

"What's the point of this training anyway? Besides you getting to take your stress out on me?"

Nora tapped a finger against her lips, thinking carefully for a few moments.

"I mean… do we need any? Helping his team by providing an effective way to release stress sound like something a good leader would do. And our Jaune is the best leader ever!"

"Speaking seriously." Said Ren, handing the blond hunter bottle of water. "We really need to work on your Semblance. All of us have a pretty good grasp of what we can do, since our Semblances are rather one dimensional. Yours however, has multiple potential uses."

Jaune sighed. He knew that, and really was thankful that his team was helping him with his training.

He just wished they at least _tried_ to pretend they weren't enjoying knocking him around.

 _This must be revenge for all the times I ran off to work without telling them. I just know it is._

"So? We find anything new?" He asked aloud, sitting up.

Ren nodded.

"It seems like the time you are able to hold up…"

"Aura Mail!" Nora happily interjected.

".. has gone up by almost one minute."

The blond sighed. One one hand, he was happy. Aura Mail, as Nora dubbed it, was a protective technique his team had helped him develop for some time now. The idea had come from the fact that his Aura wall was too impractical to use most of the time. Sure, it could block just about any attack, but most of the time he actually used up more Aura on forging it, than what he would lose if he got hit. So, they proposed the idea of not forming a solid wall, just enhancing his Aura's toughness. And what better way to let him test it, than to beat the living hell out of hm?

Jaune sighed. It wasn't pleasant, but he couldn't deny there were results. It was looking good.

"I think we should change our training a bit." Pyrrha said, watching her leader carefully.

"Really? What do you have in mind?"

"Why don't you try to fight without your armor?"

Jaune stared at his partner, eyes wide. Was this it? Did she finally decide to take over the leader position? And such a perfect scheme she had come up with. A training accident, that would put him out of commission, probably permanently. He could almost hear them saying how it was his idea, how they tried to stop him, but he insisted.

Pyrrha blushed and looked away, barely restrained the smile on her lips..

 _He looks like a puppy…_

"Jaune, don't stare at me like that."

"Why, Pyrrha? I thought we were friends!"

"But… we are! I'm just trying to help you."

"Be sentencing me to death?! I'm barely surviving three of you beating me _with_ my armor. Without it, I'm dead meat."

"First of all, you have a lot of Aura, you'll survive. Somehow."

"That wasn't very convincing…"

"And second - I thought about a one-on-one fight this time."

"Against Ren?" Jaune asked hopefully

Pyrrha's smile crushed this hope instantly.

"I thought so." With a groan, Jaune got up, and started working on taking off his Armor.

 _This is going to suck. This is going to suck SO much._

* * *

Somewhere in Vale, an older man walked into a nicely done room, and sat on a comfortable looking sofa. The woman in front of him smiled and offered him a glass of wine. He accepted and took a sip, sighing with pleasure. His host really had good taste when it came to wines.

"How is your research going?"

He put his glass down, and considered his answer.

"Pretty well. Thanks to your support, I could afford to perform several experiments I did not dare to attempt before. Even now, I'm adjusting the formula according to what I learned."

"I'm glad to hear it." She purred, crossing her legs and taking a sip of wine. Her amber eyes didn't leave his for a moment.

The fact he didn't flinch, or react to her not very subtle provocations, seem to please her.

Well, if he was two, three decades younger, he might have tried his luck. She _was_ beautiful after all. But now? Now he had other things on his mind.

"But I hope these...adjustments will not delay the project? We are on a schedule after all."

Alchemist laughed.

"I do admit that I was tempted to scrap everything and start anew, but don't worry. You will get what you asked for, this I can promise. And with a bit of luck, and a lot of hard work? Well, I think I will be able to deliver some nice bonuses."

"Oh?"She smiled, and leaned forward, her amber eyes flickering in the dim light. "Please, do tell me more."

"Well, I wouldn't like to bore you with unnecessary details…"

"Nonsense. I greatly enjoy talking with you. Unfortunately, our current acquaintances are rather … narrow minded."

Alchemist laughed. Yes, that was one way of putting it. He took another sip and started talking, his… boss? She didn't really pay him, but it was clear to him where he stood in this relationship.

Anyway, she looked pleased with what he had to say. So much so, that she promised he would get additional resources to 'play around with.'

He was thankful, really. It surprised him to find someone so understanding of his mission. Where was she when he was starting over? They could achieve so much together…

 _Well, she probably wasn't even born yet._

He shook his head. It didn't matter now. He chatted idly with his employer for almost an hour, before politely excusing himself. He didn't want to impose, and besides, he had so much work to do.

He smiled. Ah, how he missed it.

* * *

Cinder Fall relaxed in her seat. She was pleased, something rare lately. It seems like every one of her henchmen decided to cause her trouble.

Expect this one. She had her doubts at first, but this... Alchemist proved more than worth all the effort she put into finding him.

"Ok, I've seen, and done some pretty messed up shit in my life, but this guy? He really gives me creeps. Why do we even work with him?"

Cinder simled. Of course her two little minions were right beside her. She wasn't sure if her guest didn't notice them, or didn't care.

It didn't matter in the end, she supposed. He was useful, and even a bit entertaining. It was nice to talk with someone intelligent from time to time.

"He is useful." She said aloud. This was all poor Mercury would get - and everything he needed.

Cinder leaned back and raised her almost empty glass. Emerald, always eager to please, hurried to refill it. Such a sweet little minion she was.

All her plans were coming together nicely. The fiasco at the docks was disappointing, but didn't matter in the end.

Cinder smiled and took a sip of wine. It tasted delicious.

Like victory.

* * *

 **Now that wraps it up. A lot of talking and the plot thickens while Jaune is continuing his training. Leon spilling secrets he probably shouldn't (not that he cares) and Ruby dealing with her own trauma.**

 **So, will our blond Witcher find his balance? Will he be able to grasp the full power of his black sword? And what will it mean for him if he does?**

 **Only the future will tell.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' "reon".**

 **See you all next week.**


	39. Coming Storm

**Welcome to Ch 38 of TPA**

* * *

Jaune ducked under a swipe, sidestepped a kick, and parried a thrust coming towards his face. His counter was easily deflected, and Pyrrha's shield caught him in the head, pushing him back. Fortunately, he had enough presence of mind to raise his own, and catch the follow up slash on the metal surface instead of his face.

 _Ok, this is not working._

His little armor-less sparring was going about as well as he expected - which is to say absolutely terrible. Pyrrha had him on defence the whole time, and without the added protection, he was losing fast. He knew he had to do something to change flow of fight. The problem was that he couldn't figure out what.

Pyrrha was faster, and much more mobile than he was. She was also used to fighting other Aura users - something he had little to no experience with prior joining Beacon. Sure, he and Leon faced bandits multiple times, but they usually didn't have their Aura unlocked. And if they met rogue Hunter, it was his teacher who dealt with it.

 _Think. What advantages I have?_

Endurance, Aura, and pure physical strength. Jaune knew he could overpower his partner if she decided to meet him head-on. Unfortunately, she was far too experienced to make such a stupid mistake.

Jaune grit his teeth, doing his best to withstand Pyrrha's onslaught. But he knew full well it wouldn't be long before she broke his guard. She was just too damn good. He knew that he at least as physically strong as she was - they had tested it on Nora's demand. The problem was that Pyrrha was just too fast, to nimble.

Too damn good.

Jaune winced when another hit caught him in the stomach. Not strong enough to knock the air out of him, but painful nonetheless.

 _It would be so much better if I had my armor…_

Yes, his armor. Why Pyrrha insisted he removed it, he had no idea. What he did know, however, was that he was losing, and losing fast. Sure, his new technique helped, but it was too hard to focus on keeping it up _and_ fighting with his monster of a partner.

Jaune grunted, catching the spear head on his shield, and pushed on, trying to close the distance. Pyrrha forced him to reconsider with a solid kick to stomach, followed by two quick stabs. One he parried, the second marked his cheek. Jaune growled and jumped back, desperate to create some space between them, to maybe catch a breath, form a plan…

The first bullet caught him in the shin, two more pinged off his shield when he desperately covered behind it. Pyrrha was on him a second later, her shield slamming into his. With momentum alone, she pushed him back, stabbing around and under both shields. Jaune cursed and twisted, letting Pyrrha run past him. The red haired champion didn't stumble, like Jaune hoped, she just spun around, knocking his sword away with her shield, and countering with a slash to his stomach.

Jaune grit his teeth, trying to find an opening he could use to turn it around. Each second that passed without him finding anything, each blow he received made the feeling in his chest grow stronger and stronger.

In some strange way it was familiar. He'd often felt it when he traveled with Leon. He'd felt it when they hunted Grimm and Harrowed in thick forests, or dark, damp caves.

When they stood on shoddy walls of some frontier village, watching the approaching horde of monsters.

Or when he was ushering terrified civilians to bullheads, while Leon and other, more experienced Hunters were holding off the black tide after said walls were breached.

Or when they were rushing towards a plume of dark smoke, hoping to reach the attacked village in time.

Or when they were tracking the bandits that were responsible for an attack they were too late to stop.

This feeling followed him to Beacon, thought it was nowhere near as intense. The last time he truly felt it was in Spring Valley.

Desperation.

He wasn't sure why it came back so strong now, during a friendly spar with his partner. Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe Leon's warring, or maybe the fact Pyrrha just kept hitting him in the head with her shield, always wearing this strange frown, like he had done something wrong.

Jaune stumbled, and then bent over, when Pyrrha's spear slammed into his stomach. He dropped on one knee, fighting to catch his breath. The next shield bash to the head almost knocked him out. In this brief moment, when he was falling down, and stared at his partner's gleaming blade raised to finish him off, he recalled something.

It was a memory from over two years ago. Hidden in some small cave somewhere south of Mistral, surrounded by pitch-black night, and a monsterous thunderstorm. He and Leon were licking their wounds after a fight with a bandit tribe that was much harder than it had any right to be. They'd gotten separated, and even though the bandits weren't strong, there were a lot of them. Jaune had gotten badly beaten up, and they had had to retreat.

It was then that he asked a very important question. What to do when you are surrounded by so many enemies? What do you do when the situation is so hopeless?

Leon just watched him for a few moments. And then he smiled, with this wild, feral, smile that looked more like a wild beast showing off they teeth, than an actual smile, and gave his answer.

" _Listen Jaune, if your back's against a wall, and your enemy is bleeding you dry, there is only one appropriate answer."_

Jaune's hand shot forward, throwing a few pebbles at his partner's face. She easily dodged them, not that they would do any significant damage even if they hit. But this moment of distraction was enough for Jaune to get up and lunge at Pyrrha. She let out a surprised yelp when he slammed into her, almost knocking her over.

" _Pure, unadulterated, overwhelming violence."_

The blond Witcher grinned, and with a roar, charged at his opponent. Afterall, if he was going down anyway, he could at least make his opponent work for it.

* * *

"Wow. What's gotten into Ladykiller?"

Nora grinned at the blonde Huntress.

"Well, he either got bored of being Pyrrha's punching bag, or she hit him in the head too hard and he snapped. Take your pick."

"I must say, I'm surprised as well. Jaune was always a very composed warrior, I never imagined he could fight like that." Said Ren.

Weiss hummed, but didn't commnet. She knew her blond friend could be aggressive when he wanted to, their numerous spars taught her that.

But not like this.

He usually preferred to wait on his opponents, let them tire out trying to go past his defense, and only when exhaustion and irritation caused them to start making mistakes - he would go on the offensive, crushing them in one go.

But this? He was fighting like a wild animal - constantly on the offensive, always attacking. Not only with his sword - his shield, his legs, even his head - everything was a weapon. Something like that fit Yang more. But the heiress doubted even her teammate could be so... feral. Jaune fought like his life depended on it, attacking mercilessly, and using every trick he could to keep his momentum going.

And judging by her smile, Pyrrha was enjoying every second of it.

Still, even though he had the initiative now, it was clear to everyone watching that Jaune wasn't winning. Pyrrha wasn't four time champion for nothing after all. After the initial surprise, she was slowly, but surely regaining control of the fight. With each passing second, she got better and better at reading her partner's attack. She blocked more of them, and counterd more often.

Jaune's response was to push harder. It might have seemed reckless, desperate attempt to gain some advantage, but to those watching, his intent was clear. He was slowly pushing Pyrrha back towards a small bolder, no doubt hoping to trip her over it. If Pyrrha fell, and he managed to get on top of her, he should be able to win.

They all winced when Jaune took a nasty hit to the head that almost knocked him over, but the blond Hunter just roared and pushed on. They were close, very close now. Everyone watching the fight tensed. Could it be? Would Jaune be the one to finally break the Invincible Girl's winning streak?

They watched in excitement as Jaune pushed Pyrrha closer and closer to the obstacle she couldn't see. Only five more steps, four, three…

Two...

Three very intense seconds passed, after which complete silence fell over the small clearing they were using as a training spot. They just stared at the blond boy lying flat on his stomach, with the red haired Huntress pressing her spear against his back.

"What… just happened?" Asked Blake, cleary shocked.

They all thought that it was over, that Jaune had the fight. But then, at the last possible moment, Pyrrha somehow managed to slip past her partner and trip him over the rock that he wanted to use to secure his victory.

"Hacks. I call hacks. What the hell are the devs doing?" Yang cried out, throwing her hands in the air. "This is some serious bullshit. _No one_ should be _this_ good."

"I agree!" Jaune shouted, slowly getting up. He sighed and glanced at his partner.

"So, mind telling what that was for? And I'm not talking just about the fact you wanted me to fight without my armor."

For some reason, Pyrrha become very interested in one of the nearby trees.

"Whatever could you be talking about?"

Jaune sighed.

"Pyr. You could have ended that fight much faster. You _should_ have ended it when I fell over."

"Well, you did throw something at me. I had to back off, since I could have gotten blinded."

The blond Hunter sent her flat stare.

"Sure. And you totally didn't wait for me to get up. And of course you didn't _let_ me push you back. And most certainly you didn't know exactly what I was planning, and only decided to finish me off at last second."

Pyrrha blushed, and mumbled some apology. Jaune just sighed and shook his head.

"So, what was that about? You know I won't get mad."

Pyrrha shrugged and sent him a small smile.

"Well. you remember when I said I had some business to attend to this weekend?"

"Yeah."

"I met my old instructor there. We talked a bit, and she gave me few tips on how to fix some of your bad habits."

Jaune blinked.

"My… bad habits? Like what?"

"The fact that you are too dependant on your defence. You tend to become very passive, waiting for your opponent to make a move, adapting to the rhythm, rather than trying to force your own on them. She said this happens often among young Hunters who spend most of their time fighting Grimm. Afterall, you don't have to chase them - they will usually come to you without asking."

Jaune hummed, and nodded. That sounds about right.

"I described your fighting style to her, and she agreed that you might rely on your armor a bit too much. You got used to thinking that if everything else fails, you can just turtle up behind your shield, and tank hits until you come up with a solution."

"Well, it worked for me so far. Why change something that's been tested?" He said, a bit annoyed.

"Because you might find something better." Weiss countered. "No one's saying you should change your entire fighting style, but you really should be a bit more greedy."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"Greedy?"

Weiss nodded.

"You tend to get too.. I guess you could say comfortable with what you've got. As soon as you find something that works, you stick to it, not trying to change or improve it too much. Like your Semblance - you found out it helps you with your Elixirs, but why haven't you tried to test what else you can do with it?"

Jaune chuckled nervously. He really didn't had answer for that.

"And your fighting style. You got so used to just turtling up, that you rarely even _try_ to go on the offensive. There were a few times in Miss Goodwitch class, and in… Ring…" Weiss shot a nervous glance towards Nora when she mentioned her little cult, but ginger girl apparently didn't mind it being mentioned. They were all in the know afterall. "That you could end the fight much faster if you just attacked, but you always sit back, trying to wait your opponent out."

"I just prefer to play it safe." Jaune mumbled.

"But your playing safe often makes you take more damage than you would if you just rushed in and crushed your opponent quickly. If someone is clearly weaker than you, why give them more time to attack you?" Yang interjected.

Jaune shrugged.

"It works."

Judging by their stares, the weren't impressed by his answer. Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew he was being stubborn, but this style just… worked for him. He knew they wanted to help, but none of them seen what he had seen, and experienced what he had.

He somehow doubted any of them had looked death in the eye as often as he did.

Crushing your opponent quickly sounds nice, until you a face creature that can easily kill you in one hit if you make a single mistake. Taking unnecessary risk, any risks really, became much less appeal.

"It might be against Grimm. But how often have you fought trained Aura users? Like rogue Hunters?"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, then clicked it shut. He met several, but he'd actually only fought two and both times he was just support, part of a bigger party.

"Jaune we're not saying you should totally change your fighting style. Just… try something different from time to time. Who knows, you might find something that works for you even better. And even if you don't, it's always good to have options." Said Pyrrha, patting his shoulder.

Jaune sighed, and smiled. He knew they just wanted to help him. He wasn't sure why he was so defensive about it. Maybe it was seemingly misplaced pride? His own ego, refusing to take opinions from people who didn't train in the Wilds like him? Whatever it was, it wasn't helping.

No, in fact it was hindering him. He knew he needed to keep improving. Jaune never thought about himself as particularly talented. In fact, for longest time he thought he was just a pathetic weakling. But after years of training, he had gained not only skills, but also confidence. He still didn't think of himself as the best, it was hard to with Pyrrha as his partner, but he felt like he was slightly above average.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I… I guess you are right." He said finally. Like Weiss said, he shouldn't get satisfied with where he was now. He could - and should - keep improving.

So, he took a deep breath, mercilessly murdered this little voice telling him to ignore the advice of his friends, and smiled.

"Ok, I guess there are a few things I need to work on." He glanced at his partner "If I promise I will not just turtle up, can I wear my armor again? Taking bullets on my bare chest kinda hurts…"

"Well. you could always rush in and force them into melee." Ruby chipped in.

Jaune just laughed.

"That would be prefered, yes, but if you didn't notice, I'm not the fasted guy around…"

Weiss smirked.

"Funny you mention that…"

Jaune paused, starting at the smirking heiress for a moment. Then he looked over the rest of his friends. Some were smirking, some looked at him with pity. He noticed Ren attaching something that looked like a mattress to a nearby tree.

"You are not going to force me to do some speed training now, are you?"

Weiss' smile grew even larger.

Jaune sighed.

"Fuck me."

"Maybe later, if you will be good boy. Now let's get started."

* * *

Jaune fell on his bed face first. He was tired, bruised all over, covered in dirt and sweet, and tired.

Very, very tired.

"Get up, Jaune. You can't sleep like that." Said Pyrrha, shaking him lightly.

Jaune was fairly sure he could, and would gladly prove it, if only his partner left him alone.

"Come on. You will feel much better after you wash yourself up."

Jaune wanted to argue, but that would require energy. Something he was lacking right now.

Eventually, Pyrrha's persistence forced him to get up and go to the bathroom. Jaune sighed when hot water washed over him, taking not only dirt, but some of the exhaustion and pain he felt away. Weiss proved to be a merciless teacher, forcing him to perform various exercises over and over again. Apparently, she'd deducted that he should be able to use his Semblance to boost his speed enough to catch at least some of the faster people. He probably would never be able to match the likes of Ruby, or Weiss, but at least he wouldn't be a sitting duck for most other Hunters.

He had to admit that the idea was appealing, but after almost an hour long lecture from Weiss, and lots of practice, the only thing he managed to do was to completely drain himself out of Aura and stamina.

Weiss was not impressed, not capable of understanding how he could fail to understand her detailed explanation of what, and how, to do.

Jaune sighed again, turned water off, and walked out of the shower cabin. The only silver lining was that, after he collapsed from exhaustion, his two female teammates teamed up to lead the training for rest of his friends.

Cardio with Nora, or 'serious' combat training with Pyrrha.

Jaune smirked. Just this once, he might have gotten better deal out of it.

The blond Hunter paused before the mirror, studying his reflection. He was exhausted, true, but there was no denying the smile on his lips. He had fun, spending time with his friends, training and laughing. He wondered how Leon would react to all of this. He kinda wished he could have properly introduced the man he owed everything to his new friends. Maybe even let them experience the joys of training with his old mentor?

His smile grew wicked, but soon fell when Jaune recalled their last conversation. Things were looking good on the surface, but he could tell that it probably wouldn't last. The White Fang, Torchwick, Master… They all seemed to be somehow connected. And that couldn't be good.

 _Be safe Leon. Whatever you are doing._ Jaune thought, then chuckled. Leon could take care of himself. There was no need to be worried about him.

* * *

An armored fist slammed into the face of the young looking man, throwing it to the side. Another blow come from the opposite side, and then another.

"Enough." A calm voice sounded in dim room.

The burly lizard faunus grunted, and stepped away from the man tied to the chair.

"You have a lot of guts to come here alone and unarmed, human. I respect that. Or rather I would if you weren't just dumb, human scum." The owner of the calm voice stepped into the light. He was much smaller than his companion, and judging by the curved horns on his head, he was a goat faunus.

"Now, what should we do with you?" He said, humming to himself. "Where did you find him again?"

"He was sniffing around near the entrance to lab no 5. He disguised himself as one of us, was asking around about Alchemist, and a few other things no one should be asking about."

"I see. I trust he didn't learn anything from our brothers and sisters?"

The lizard fanus chuckled darkly.

"Like anyone would talk. Between the fire bitch, and the Alchemist's experiments, everyone's too scared to say anything."

His companion shot him an annoyed glare, but the larger man just shrugged.

"What? It's true. You either get incinerated, or end up in the tube. And we all saw how people who walked out of his labs looked like. If they walk out at all."

"Stop it you moron!" The goat faunus growled, but the larger man just shrugged again.

"Why? You said the same thing. And this guy?" He kicked the chair with the tied man. "He won't live long enough to make use of anything he learns."

"I guess that's true. Anyway, who are you? Who are you working for?"

"Wrong questions my friend. Who I am is not important. Who I work for?" The tied man hummed, considering his answer. "Not really important either."

"I guess. Then tell us, how does your employer already know about our little operation?"

The tied man just chuckled.

"You really like to ask dumb questions, don't you?"

The goat faunus growled and nodded to his friend. He grinned and started hitting the tied man again. After he paused to catch a breath, his smaller friend walked forward, and looked their victim in the eyes.

He didn't like what he saw. There was no fear, no hatred, no desperation. Not even resignation.

If he dared to guess, the man in front of him was… amused.

"Answer my question." He growled.

"And what answer do you expect? Even if I knew anything, why do you assume I'd tell you, when you just admitted you will kill me anyway?"

"Because you have only two choices. You can talk. Then my friend will not hit you anymore, and we will kill you quickly. Or you can resist, it will last much longer. In the end, you will talk anyway. So, why not save yourself the pain?"

The tied man considered his words for a moment, then nodded.

"Ok, seems legit."

"You will talk?" Both faunus asked at once. One of them surprised, the other disappointed.

"Sure. I don't owe them that much to try and keep their secrets. Just bring me the black pouch you took from me, there is something in it that I need. It would make explaining things easier." He added when he noticed their suspicious glares.

The goat faunus shrugged, and walked to the table in the corner of the room, where they put the things they took from their prisoner. He spotted the pouch easy enough. He picked it up, and weighed in his hand. It was rather heavy, probably around one or two kilograms. The faunus opened it, revealing its contents. It looked like some kind of powdered rock, maybe sand. Why would their prisoner want this in his last moments? He carefully picked up a bit of dark powder, examining it carefully in the dim light. It looked to be just ordinary sand, with a few small pieces of metal mixed in.

He walked to the tied man, and presented his pouch. Of course he don't actually give it to him, that would be too dangerous.

"Just spill the sand. What I want is hidden inside."

The faunus did as asked. It turned out that besides the sand, there were a few metal pieces inside - but nothing that looked even remotely interesting.

"Crap, must have put it somewhere else. Oh, well, doesn't matter. What do you want to know?"

The goat faunus coughed, waving his hand around to dispel the cloud of dust that surrounded them.

"Who are you work for? And how much do they know already? How many others are there? I want names, locations, everything."

Their prisoner answered every question, but unfortunately didn't know much. He was hired by Beacon, but that was to be expected. He knew there were at least four more people hired, but didn't know who. Most of the information he provided was useless, except for the last bit.

"Oh, and we know you are planning something big. Something for the Festival."

Both faunus looked at each other, expressions serious. If the humans caught wind of their operation… the higher ups needed to know.

"Allright pal, that will be all. As promised, we will make it quick."

"Wait. One more thing."

"Yeah?" Said lizard faunus, picking up a long, thin wire and standing behind human.c"What's that?"

"Do you want to know what is _real_ reason I told you all of this?"

"Yes?"

"None of you will live long enough to make any use of this info." He said with a grin

The goat faunus just shook his head. Here comes the false bravado. Well, not that it mattered, the human would die now, and they would…

His arm exploded.

He stared at it for a moment, not even registering the blood and pieces of his own flesh that covered his face. Shock and fear came first. Pain hit soon after.

He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound come out. He'd fallen into a fast growing pool of his own blood. HIs whole body was on fire, he felt as if he is being ripped apart from the inside. Judging by the amount of his own blood and flesh he was seeing, it might be true.

He stared ahead, into the eyes of his friend.

Or rather eye. Half of his face was missing. He could make out splinters of skull, and parts of brain lying on floor.

The last thing he saw was their prisoner walking past him, a cloud of this black sand whirling around him. He could hear the sound of doors opening and closing loud and clear. The screams, he didn't hear.

He was already dead.

* * *

 **And that wraps it up. Very Jaune-centric chapter, our blond WItcher making some progress in his training. WIth the help of his friends of course. Who definitely didn't enjoy beating the hell out of him.**

 **And of course Leon doing Leon's things.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' "reon".**

 **See you all next week.**


	40. Something in the Water

**Welcome to Ch 39 of TPA**

* * *

Jaune took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it go. This was it. After all this time of constant training, and researching different methods of Aura manipulation, today he would finally succeed. His friends, especially Ruby and Weiss, helped him a lot, and now he would show them what he'd learned!

Jaune closed his eyes, and focused on his Aura, activating his Semblance at the same time. He took control of the power flowing through his body, shaping it, directing, giving it purpose, turning wild current into precise tool.

His first idea to make himself faster was to, well, run faster. But Weiss and Ruby knocked that idea out of his head pretty quickly. It just wasn't possible to move your legs quickly enough to reach the speeds most Hunters fought at.

Most people solved that problem by jumping short distances. Sure, that meant it was hard to change the direction you were moving after you started, but there were ways to work around it. For example - using recoil from high caliber weapons, ropes, or, if someone was particularly lucky, specialized Semblances.

Jaune had none of that, so he had to improvise. Oh, he tried it, but it didn't go well. Maybe it was because he was too heavy, or was too used to having both feet on the ground, or maybe because of his motion sickness, but Jaune simply couldn't handle it. Oh, he could jump, even pretty high if he wanted to. But rapid movement using that method? It simply didn't work for him.

It took him awhile, but he eventually found his own method. And his inspiration come from certain white haired Heiress. He watched as he old friend used her Glyphs to move around, and the idea struck him. It was so simple, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

He poured his Aura into his feet, pushing it out, coating his soles in a thin sheet of his power. Soon, his feet were glowing a soft white. As did the ground in a meter radius around him. A small smile appeared on his lips. Jaune never thought of himself as a particularly talented guy. What he achieved, he achieved by hard work alone - and by improvising. If he couldn't do something, he would look for a way around. Even his Semblance reflected this. It wasn't as flashy or strong as Ruby's or Pyrrha's, but it was flexible. It didn't give him any decisive advantage, it wasn't any sort of trump card, but even though it wouldn't make him the fastest, strongest, or most durable, it could let him take third place in every category.

 _Well, I have power and durability covered, time to add speed to the mix._

His grin widened. He took a moment to make sure the flow of his Aura was steady, then his eyes snapped open, and he _moved._

With running and jumping out of question, Jaune settled for different method of movement. It took some practice, a lot in fact, but he eventually figured out how to use Aura to reduce the friction between his feet and the surface he was standing on. This let him slide on any terrain as if he were standing on polished ice.

He took three steps to build up speed, and then activate this new technique.

The world blurred around him, wind whipped his hair behind him, and a maniacal grin appeared on his face. He did it! He was moving fast! Way faster than he ever dreamed possible. Did he match Weiss' speed? Maybe even Ruby's? It didn't matter, what mattered was that…

And then a sudden thought struck him.

 _Wait, how do I stop?_

A random tree was happy to provide him an answer.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Asked Ruby, poking her friend with one finger. The only response she got from the blond boy was a muffled groan.

"Well, he hit that tree pretty hard. And head first at that." Yang pointed out, looking at the sizable trunk carefully. "I'm honestly surprised it's still intact. It must be pretty sturdy."

"Are you talking about the tree or his head?" Blake asked with a smirk. Yang considered her answer for a moment, then grinned.

"Both."

Another pained groan sounded from the blond boy.

"Shouldn't we take him to infirmary or something?"

Weiss shook her head.

"No need, Ruby. He's tough guy." She not so gently kicked the downed boy. "Now, stop being dramatic, it couldn't have hurt that bad. "

Jaune groaned again, and pushed himself up, massaging his forehead.

"It still hurt." He complained.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." The heiress huffed. "Look on the bright side - it worked! Still needs a lot of work, but at least it's something."

"I guess." Jaune sighed again, and shook his head. "Ok, what do we have planned for today?"

"Teamwork training. The Vytal festival is just two months away, we need to prepare."

"Do we though? I mean, we are first years, will we even be allowed to participate?" Asked Jaune.

"Of course. Participations are chosen based on their overall performance, so the good first year teams can get in. Plus," Weiss smirked, "you have Pyrrha Nikos in your team. You basically have no choice put to participe."

"Good point." Jaune grinned at his partner. "Well then, let's get this training started. We have butts to kick, and prizes to claim."

* * *

Ozpin stared at the bluish screen, somehow hoping that he could change what it displayed with sheer force of will. Unfortunately, life wasn't so easy.

He let out a tired sigh, and took a sip from his mug.

"Things are bad, Oz."

The old wizard looked at Qrow, who in turn was staring through the window at the seemingly peaceful city.

"I know."

"We still don't know who is pulling the strings behind the White Fang and Torchwick, but I would bet my liver that it's the same bitch that attacked Amber."

Ozpin hummed, but didn't comment. Even though the information they had was sparse, even after such a long investigation, what little they had learned was worrying. Very much so. Most of the criminals they captured - be it White Fang, or Torchwick's goons - were unusually tight lipped. The only thing they managed to learn for sure was that there was in fact someone behind the recent spike in criminal activity, and whoever it was was powerful. Powerful enough to intimidate both White fang and Torchwick into working together.

They couldn't get any specific info about this mysterious person, besides the fact she could control fire. Not very specific, and it _could_ be just a coincidence.

"I think we are in agreement on that one, my friend." Ozpin said with a sigh. Now, how should he proceed? He already had several trusted individuals working on this case, but it wasn't enough. They knew the White Fang planned to attack the Vytal Festival, but they had no idea in what manner.

Ozpin hummed, and not for first time considered canceling the whole event. He yet again discarded the idea. Even if Vale's council would agreed to it - and he doubted that - Salem's minions would just find another target. At least now they knew when to expect it.

"I think we should ask Ironwood for help."

Opsin almost spilled his coffee. He looked up at his longtime friend, wondering if he heard right, or maybe Qrow drank too much and was in delirium.

Or maybe he'd been captured and brainwashed by Salem on one of his missions?

"Don't stare at me like that, Oz. I don't like the idea either, but I like what I saw down there even less." He said, nodding towards the city.

"Those guys… not only the White Fang,but some of the humans too… they did something to them. They don't have Aura or anything, but they are fast, strong, and fearless. Guys would literally impale themselves on your sword, just to give another an opening." Qrow shook his head. "We still have no idea where their main laboratory is, or what exactly they are planning, but if half… no, a third of as many men as we think they have get 'augmented' like that, we will be neck deep in shit when they hit us."

Qrow sighed, and turned towards Ozpin.

"And that's not even counting this whole Master business. I wouldn't be surprised if they planned to pull off another Spring Valley, if only to spread our forces. I don't like Ironwood's methods any more than you do, but I'm afraid we can't afford to be subtle anymore."

Ozpin leaned back, considering his options. James had been insisting on bringing some of his forces as added security for some time now. So far he had refused, believing that the presence of an army might have a negative effect on the civilians' morale, but considering what Qrow and Leon learned, it seemed he would have to accept his friend's offer.

Ozpin let out a long, tired sigh, massaging his forehead.

"I'll think it over. You get some rest, maybe spend some time with your nieces. Tell Leon… where is he anyway?"

"Last time I saw him, he was going to kick his old student's ass."

Ozpin smiled.

"I believe you meant he wanted to spar with him?"

Qrow took a swing from his flask and shrugged.

"That's what I said."

"I see. Do you think he is sharing the results of our investigation with Mr. Arc?"

Qrow considered the answer for a moment, then nodded.

"Almost certainly. The kid's in his 'pack,' after all. You want me to keep an eye on them, to make sure they don't do anything stupid?"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, staring at ceiling for a few moments. "You can leave. Go meet with Ruby and Yang. They will be thrilled, and you certainly could use some rest."

Qrow chuckled and shook his head.

"Like you are one to talk." He strode towards elevator doors, pausing in front of them for a moment. "See ya later Oz. Don't overwork yourself."

Ozpin chuckled and waved him off. He would love to take a break, but there was still so much work to do.

* * *

"Go, Pyrrha! You can do it!"

The red haired champion barely registered her friends' cheering, her attentions focused solely on her opponent. She'd learned quite fast that getting distracted even for split of a second could end badly.

She ducked under a swing, took another on shield, and had to resist the urge to throw a counter at far too obvious opening. Well, far too obvious for Leon. If this was any other opponent, she would have taken it without hesitation, but Jaune's teacher was even better at baiting and countering than her team leader.

Which made sense, since it was him who taught her partner how to fight. And it showed in more ways than one.

Leon was different than just about any other Hunter she'd fought against. He wasn't the fastest, strongest, or most mobile, but he was… steady. Unlike most Hunters, who preferred to crush their opponent in one devastating assault, Leon was picking her apart slowly. He spent a few moments getting the feel of her, then started increasing the tempo of fight, up until the point where she just barely could keep up. It was a similar tactic to what Jaune used, but Leon's was far more refined.

She winced when the pommel of his sword caught her on the forehead. Fighting past pain and dizziness, she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the follow up slash.

Yes, Leon's fighting style was far more refined. At first, she expected him to be very defensive fighter, like Jaune - they even had similar looking armors - but she was quickly proven wrong. Leon could go from very defensive, to almost suicidally offensive, in split of a second.

She grinned when she managed to deflect his attack and score hit on his shoulder. It grew even wider when he instantly counterattacked, scoring solid hit on her stomach.

When was last time someone pushed her so far? When was the last time when she was the one who had to give her all just to keep up? When she desperately tried to find any opening? She vaguely remembered this feeling of desperation form when she was just starting her career, but that was so long ago, it felt like it was different life.

But now, this feeling came back. Mostly because Leon never appeared to be out of her reach. Sure, he was fast and strong, but it was always at a level where she thought she could match it if she only pushed herself a little further.

It took her almost two minutes to realize he was doing it on purpose. By dangling hope for victory just before her eyes, he easily provoked her to fight far more aggressively than she would normal do against a more experienced opponent.

Their duel ended abruptly. She deflected his thrust, and countered with her own. Leon, didn't try to parry it, he just twisted his torso, letting her blade slid harmlessly by his armor. His hand landed on back of her head, and next thing she knew, her face was shoved firmly into the ground.

"I yield." She mumbled.

"You are good." Leon complimented, helping her stand up.

She smiled.

"Thank you."

He smirked.

"For the compliment, or kicking your ass?"

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Both, I guess. I know it might sound strange but…" she shrugged, not certain how to describe what she felt. She was genuinely happy that she lost. She realized that she probably should feel frustrated, or angry, but there was none of it.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was some frustration, especially when she realized her opponent wasn't even tired after she gave it her all. But at the same time, she couldn't deny the excitement she felt at this moment.

"You're happy that you still haven't reached your limit?" The older man offered.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I guess that's right." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm totally kicking your ass one day." She announced proudly.

Leon barked a laugh.

"You are welcome to try, kiddo." He paused, and considered her for a moment. "You wanna piece of advice?"

"Of course."

"You don't have to accept every challenge. Learn to back off sometime."

Pyrrha blinked, surprised. It was not the kind of advice she expected. She made to ask what he meant, but he already walked away, and moments later she was swarmed by her friends.

She shook her head, allowing Ruby and Nora to drag her off to celebrate her 'definitely-almost-beating-pro-Hunter". She would think about it later, for now, she would just enjoy some free time together with her friends.

* * *

"You leaving already?" Asked Jaune.

Leon shrugged.

"Yeah. Got a call from one of my contacts. Need to meet with the guy, might be something important."

Jaune smiled and held out his fist.

"Well, then I won't be keeping you. Stay safe, stay sharp, old man. "

Leon grinned, and bumped his student's fist with his own.

"You too, kiddo. See ya later."

Jaune watched as his mentor boarded the bullhead to Vale, and with a sigh turned around and left Beacon's air docks. There was no need for him to stand there and see Leon off - it wasn't like his friend was going to some gods-forsaken place…

Well, he was, considering the whole of Remnant was forsaken by the gods, but at least he wasn't going far away. They will probably see each other soon enough. For now, he had a party to attend.

He smiled to himself. Getting Leon to spar with Pyrrha proved to be good idea after all. He knew she was good, but that didn't meant she couldn't improve. But he noticed that Pyrrha spent far more time helping others train, rather than actual training herself. Sure, she was keeping her form, but as Leon used to say - if you don't move forward, you are going to be left behind.

At first he worried it might be because his partner's desire to be just part of the group, not an untouchable champion, but he soon realized it was not the case. Pyrrha simply lacked perspective. She hadn't lost a match in a long time, even when faced with multiple opponents. It was hard to motivate yourself to push to new heights, when you were at level when you crushed every opponent easily.

So, as good friend and leader that he was, Jaune asked his teacher to thoroughly kick his partner's ass.

And sure enough, Pyrrha had this determined look on her face ever since her loss.

Jaune started walking towards Beacon's dorms, humming some melody. Things were looking good. Maybe this whole mess with the White Fang would blow over? With Leon's help of course.

It sure would be nice.

* * *

"We have a problem." Was what Ozpin heard as soon as he accepted the call from some unknown number. Honestly, the only reason he did was because he was too tired to wonder who might call, and it was so late that it almost certainly was something important.

"Yes, I'm aware. If…" he began, but was interrupted by the person on the other end of call.

"No, you're not. We are neck deep in the shit, and it's going to get worse. A lot worse." Ozpin tensed. In his long years fighting against Salem, he developed a certain… resistance to grim news. But each time he thought he was past the point of something can truly frightening him, he always discovered something that proved him wrong.

Like now.

Leon was a very calm man. No matter the situation, no matter how grim it was, he always had this devil-may-care attitude.

But now, he was clearly panicking.

"What happened?"

"I got a lead on another of the Fang's facilities. This one was important, so me, Qrow and few other guys teamed up and bust it open. Oz, this is really bad. Those fuckers recreated recipes for the shit that was used in Spring Valley, and they started to mass produce it."

Ozpin tensed. This was certainly bad news. From the reports he received, only about three liters of the substance was enough to kill off everyone in Spring Valley. If they had more…

"How much did they manage to produce?"

The answer he received was three photos. One was a map of Vale and the surrounding areas, with multiple villages marked with red circles. Ozpin immediately recognized a few of them. Farms, mining centers, popular tourists spots. All of them either important for Vale's economy, or heavily populated. The anxiety he felt earlier turned into fear.

The second one showed a truck, with the logo of some company producing water filters and cleaning agents.

It was half loaded with metal canisters. A metal rack with few more canisters stood next to it. They were sealed, but Ozpin didn't need to ask to know what was inside.

The third photo showed a long hall. He could see the same truck from the previous photo at the edge, and rows upon rows of similar metal racks. There had to be a few hundred of them.

And all of them were empty.

Ozpin just stared at it for a few moments, then let out a long, shuddering breath. He thanked Leon for his report, and ended the call. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then made a call of his own.

"James, how fast can you bring your forces to Vale?" He asked after greetings. There were a few moments of silence before the General gave his answer.

"I see. Yes, bring as many as you can." He listened to his friend for a few moments, before quickly summarizing what he learned from Leon, and ending the call.

Ozpin ran a hand down his face, and spent a few moments just staring at the ceiling.

He hoped they still had a bit more time, but apparently Salem's minions got bored of waiting. Was this change of plans because of their investigations? Or maybe they never planned to attack festival at all, maybe it was fake info meant to draw their attentions away from the real danger?

Not that it mattered now. The first blow was struck. Now all they could do was to try and minimize their losses.

* * *

 **And here it is. Bad guys struck way earlier than in show, and for good reason. The way I see it, Cinder never really cared about attacking the Vytal festival. It was more of a gift for the White Fang, a chance for them to hit a high profile target. For Cinder though, it was just a distraction, a way to draw away Ozpin's forces, allowing her to more easily sneak in and take the Maiden's powers.**

 **Here, things changed because of Master. With his Harrowed-creating serum, she didn't need to wait for the festival to create enough chaos. Especially when she knows that her enemies caught wind of her plans.**

 **On another note - TPA is coming to an end. I expect there to be three more chapters, plus an epilogue. Maybe more, maybe less, but it will definitely end soon.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' 'reon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	41. Beared Fangs

**Welcome to Ch 40 of TPA**

* * *

The first sign that something was wrong appeared on Wednesday. Some people came to Vale from surrounding villages, reporting that they couldn't make contact with their families. Not many people paid much attention to it at first, saying it was probably a temporary network failure. But when more and more reports started to come in, and from many different villages, some of citizens of Vale started recalling the tragedy of Spring Valley. There wasn't any panic yet, people were more curious that scared, but everyone knew that _something_ must have happened.

On Thursday, around three p.m, the first Atlesian ships showed u[ at Vale's borders. Five ships carried a contigment of fifty soldiers and two hundred Atlesian Knights, lead by General Ironwood himself. Of course, the sudden arrival of such force instantly grabbed everyone's attention. One hour after the ships docked at Beacon's air docks, the press conference was organized. Both General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin were present to answer questions. They assured that no, this was not an invasion, and yes, the arrival of Atlas forces was planned beforehand. Atlas had come on the direct invitation from Vale's council as added security for the Vytal Festival. No, it's not a sign of the Council not trusting Ozpin to be able to handle protecting the event. Yes, the recent spike in criminal activity was one of the determining factors in making this decision.

Jaune, unlike almost every other student in Beacon, didn't care about the interview, the Atlesian soldiers that took their residence in Beacon, or any of high-tech equipment they brought with them. To every student's delight, classes were suspended, so everyone took the chance to take a look a representative of the world's strongest military.

Jaune and his friends, used this opportunity to prepare. For what, he wasn't sure, only that it would be something bad. Very, very bad. This morning, just before classes, he saw Leon leaving Ozpin's office. He went to say hi to his old teacher. The older man shot him a single glance, and spoke only two words before marching off towards the air docks.

Those words were, "Get ready." Jaune didn't ask for details - judging by his looks, Leon had just recently come back from a job. And was immediately heading for another. Given the latest rumors, and what Leon told him earlier about his investigation, Jaune had a pretty good idea what he was supposed to be preparing for.

So, ever since morning, both JNPR and RWBY had been preparing. Ruby and Pyrrha went to the armory to run checks on their equipment. Ren stayed with Jaune, to help him with Elixirs. The rest of them went to Vale to stock up on Dust, ammo, and anything they though they might need.

Jaune sighed, retrieving a half full bottle of dark-red liquid. He inspected it for a moment, then put it in his Elixir box. Fourteen Healing Enhancers for his friends. Weaker than what he usually used himself, but he wanted to minimize the chance of side effects. Four… Owls, as Nora demanded they be called. Three strengthened Healing Enhancers for himself. Five Heart Enhancers. Four Dawns and two Dusks.

Will it be enough? He had no idea.

Probably not, if what he feared was true. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up at his friend. Ren sent him a reassuring smile and nodded once. Jaune nodded back, and stretched out. He'd spent nearly five hours making not only Elixirs, but also salves and simple Dust bombs. Just as he wondered what to do, the doors to classroom they'd adopted as their 'base' opened and two people walked in.

"This is all we managed to get." Said Yang, placing a paper bag next to him. Jaune nodded and took out its contents. Several types of herbs and Dust. Not much, but he should be able to make a few more Elixirs.

Without a word, Ren started preparing the aperture.

"Need help with this?" Asked Nora, looking over his shoulder. Jaune shook his head.

"No, I got it. But I think Ren could use some help with cleaning those vials."

Nora nodded and marched off. Everyone in the room was busy with their own thing, preparing for the incoming storm. Each one of them asking the same questions. When will it hit? And how hard?

* * *

'Soon', and 'very hard' were the correct answers.

It was Friday afternoon, when 'the video' was published on several of the most popular news sites - just some festival in some frontier village. It was perfectly normal thing, such festivals happened all the time, so not many people paid too much attention to it.

That is until the celebration turned into scene from some cheap horror movie. One moment there was a dancing, cheering crowd, the next, over three fourths of the people on screen started convulsing and screaming as if they were being skinned alive. Not even one minute later, they died, and then rose again, as black, deformed monsters. Hordes of ghouls didn't waste a second in tearing into the disoriented and frightened crowd.

Soon after, several humanoid figures appeared, each in full armor, with ornate helmets covering their faces. A few remaining survivors rushed to the newly arrived, looking for salvation.

They found only death, at the tips of their swords and spears.

Soon after, the camera started shaking, there was a pained scream, and the video ended.

It was taken down after just half an hour, but it was already too late. Too many people had seen it, some of them downloaded it and were publishing on the private side. Tension was skyrocketing, everyone was demanding answers.

Then the CCT went down, and after a few moments, every scroll, telephone, and Tv started broadcasting the same message. First, the familiar image of the red head of snarling beast appeared. Then the face of a lion Faunus, dressed in similar armor as the people from the first video appeared.

"Humans!" he roared. "Too long have you plagued this word with your cursed existence. Too long have you oppressed the one, true children of this word. But no more! The time of your reckoning has come! Soon, your cities will fall, and you will be judged for your crimes!" He slammed an armored fist into his chest and grinned viciously. "We are Knights of the Fang! We are sword of justice that will strike down the wicked! Prepare yourselves, for there will be no mercy."

After that the transmission ended. Soon after, recordings of more attacks started to show up.

When the sirens sounded, and his scroll started ringing, Jaune couldn't help but to recall Spring Valley. The same day of the week, roughly the same hour. Coincidence? Almost certainly.

But it didn't stop the cold shiver that ran down his spine when he boarded the bullhead.

* * *

Jaune slammed on his bed, not even bothering to change. He was just too tired. And not only him, just about anyone with Aura and at least half decent combat skills had participated in the effort to stop whatever the White Fang was planning. No one called it a war yet, but it certainly felt like one.

Despite their bold proclamation two days ago, the White Fang did not strike at Vale directly. It became apparent that they simply didn't have enough manpower to do that.

Yet.

So far, they'd resorted to attacking surrounding villages, forcing Vale to spread its forces thin. No one knew where the Faunus would hit next, so they had to react to every sign of a threat. Most of them turned out to be false alarms - but the few teams that did encountered enemy come back ragged and heavily wounded. The White Fang 'knights' proved to be formidable opponents, at least for younger students. At first, Ozpin refuse to send anyone from first or second year into the field, but it quickly became apparent that he would have to. So far only the best teams from younger years were allowed to participate in the more dangerous mission, the rest of the student body was working as support.

Jaune groaned, flexing his blackened hand. Another problem were Harrowed. Several villages were completely turned, and to the shock of many, the White Fang used freshly created Ghouls to attack surrounding villages. No one knew how they controlled the Harrowed, but it meant a lot of work for Witchers.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Pyrrha, eyeing his hand with concern.

Jaune shrugged.

"Been better. But I can keep going, at least for a say or two, before it gets really bad. If I get a good night's sleep, it would probably go away, but…" he trailed off and shrugged.

Pyrrha sighed, and sat down on her bed. They all knew that rest was something none of them would get in the foreseeable future. Jaune pulled his scroll out, and started idly browsing the news. Most were the same as the previous day - people panicking and looking for someone to blame for all of this. So far it seemed votes were spread evenly between the Council, the White Fang specifically, and the Faunus in general.

Though there were a few articles suggesting it was all just a plot by Ozpin to take over the Council.

It was a load of crap of course, written by someone who had no idea what they were talking about, but at least Jaune got a good laugh out of it.

The doors to the room opened, and Nora and Ren walked in, carrying trays of food. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So, what do you think? What is their plan?" Asked Nora finally.

After the initial shock passed, everyone started asking themselves what the White Fang's ultimate goal was. No one believed that they would use so many resources just to attack a few, not very important villages. The day after the first attacks were reported, Ironwood made a public statement, informing the people of Vale that terrorists' origin plan was to destroy several large farms surrounding Vale. It was a sound plan, seeing as Vale was responsible for the majority of the world's food production. Thankfully, the unexpected arrival of Atlas forces threw a wrench into terrorists' plan. Now they were just lashing out, trying to do as much damage as they could.

Most of Vale's population was happy to accept this explanation, along with the promise of more reinforcements from Atlas being on the way.

Those involved in the operation directly knew it is just a load of crap.

The White Fang attacks were too precise, too well coordinated. There were a few skirmishes, nothing serious enough to be called a battle yet, but the Faunus terrorist were probing their defences almost non stop. Their raiding parties were hitting the least defended positions, focusing on doing as much damage as possible and then retreating. At first, those in command were surprised and happy about low number of deaths, but the reason why Fang didn't kill people become apparent very quickly.

More people left alive in a raided village, meant more negativity. More negativity meant more Grimm. More survivors meant they needed more men and means of transportation to get them to safety. As refugee camps grew, so did the amount of resources they needed to keep them secure.. Not only that, these attacks were like the best birthday present for every anti-faunus organization in Vale. So far only a few minor incidents had occurred, but tensions were high.

The whole of Vale was a powder keg waiting to explode.

"I think there is some merit to what General Ironwood said earlier. Their main target had to be the farms, since destroying them would have the biggest impact not only on Vale, but other kingdoms as well. Atlas appearing so suddenly must have forced them to change plans." Said Ren.

"You think it will blow over, like people are saying?" asked Pyrrha. Raven haired boy shook his head.

"I doubt it will be that easy. I doubt they would prepare an operation like that without some countermeasures." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I think they will try to deal as much damage as possible. Increase human-faunus hatred as much as they can."

"Wouldn't that be contrary to their goals? They want a better life for Faunus right?" asked Nora.

Jaune just snorted.

"They don't give two shits about your average Faunus. What they want, is domination. And possibly revenge. Bloody revenge. The more discrimination there is, the better for them."

The hammer wielder looked at him confused.

"How so?"

"The more discrimination there is, the more angry the Faunus become. The angrier they are, the easier they are to recruit. " Said Pyrrha. She turned to Ren. "You think that is their goal? To get more recruits, and then hit again when they are stronger?"

Ren shrugged.

"Possibly. Their initial plan didn't work, so they might be settling for the second best."

Jaune hummed, but didn't comment. Ren's idea was good, but he wasn't convinced. Based on what he learned from Leon, in the short conversation that definitely never happened, the White Fang was planning to hit the Vytal festival. And that was a much bigger target than a few villages. Even if they did manage to successfully destroy a few farms, it wouldn't have as big of a impact. So why do it? Spend resources on something like that? Not only that, they lost the element of surprise. The only reason they managed to cause so much damage is because they caught Vale off guard. But there was simply too big a difference in the resources available for the White Fang to achieve any meaningful victory here. And that's not even counting the reinforcements that were coming from Atlas.

The White Fang had to know this. So why pull something like that? Even if they managed to increase hatred towards Faunus, a successful attack on the Vytal Festival would give them much better results. Why give up on that?

Unless they didn't. This whole operation might have been a distraction from something else. Ozpin apparently thought the same, since he kept several teams of Hunters in Vale at all times, despite Council pressure to send them all in the field.

"So, what do you think Jaune?" Asked Pyrrha. The blond boy sighed and shot her a tired look.

"I think that we all should catch some shut eye while we can. Trying to figure the Fang's plans will get us nowhere."

His partner chuckled and collapsed on her bed.

"As you command, sir."

They all chuckled, and relaxed, enjoying a much deserved rest. It lasted for only two minutes, and was violently interrupted by energetic knocking on the door. Jaune groaned, pushed himself up, and shuffled towards the door with the enthusiasm and grace of a zombie.

"Coming, coming." He muttered when the knocking didn't stop. "I swear, if this is another of your pranks, Yang, I will…" he paused when after opening the door, when he meet with silver, and very serious eyes, instead of lilac and teasing.

"We are getting deployed. There is village that might be attacked soon." Said Ruby.

Jaune sighed. He could hear his team slowly getting up.

"Got it. Let's go."

* * *

"Welcome to my humble laboratory, miss Fall."

Cinder smiled and nodded to the older man. Normally, she wouldn't bother coming personally, but this… Alchemist always intrigued her.

Plus, his company was much better than the alternative. She oh so wished she could burn Torchwick to the ashes, but unfortunately, both him, and his little minion still had their uses.

"I must say, I didn't expect you to come over personally. I could have sent you a report on your scroll." He said, leading her down a sizable hall. On both sides, rows of incubators sat, each filled with a greenish liquid. She could see dark shapes inside. Most of them retained their original form, save for the size. Some… well they didn't need to look pretty to do their job.

"I'm aware. But I find your research… fascinating. So, when you told me you perfected the procedure, I simply had to see results with my own eyes."

The older man looked back at her with pleased surprise.

"Miss Fall." He said after a moment. "You have no idea how much that means to me." They eventually stopped in front of a reinforced metal door. The Alchemist taped the keypad next to them a few times, and with his heavy door slowly opened.

The room behind them was mostly empty, save for a few computers, a single desk, and a sizable glass tube, similar to the one outside.

"Is this it?" Cinder asked, a hint of excitement slipping into her voice.

"Yes. The culmination of my research. The first, perfect specimen."

She walked closer and stared at the dark form surrounded by liquid. It was humanoid in shape, and a massive tail she could see revealed him as lizard Faunus. Part of his head was deformed, probably the remains of the wound that killed him. There were several stitches over his body, suggesting heavy damage. But beside that, there was little to no difference between the man in the tube, and the one on the photo next to it.

Besides his eyes. They were half closed, but Cinder could see that they shown with an eldritch, greenish light.

"Is he stable?"

"Completely. He also retains most of his memories from before the transformation. He is sentient, and capable of communication, and much less prone to violent outburst."

The Alchemist walked beside her, a proud expression on his face.

"How do you like it?"

She smiled.

"It's magnificent. How fast can you prepare the laboratory to mass produce them?"

He grinned.

"I already have. The first batch should be ready soon. I also took the liberty of securing suitable transportation to Vale."

Cinder's grin grew even further. Trully, the Alchemist was proving his worth time and time again. Why hadn't she thought of recruiting him sooner?

"I know you are a busy woman, madam." He said, pulling bottle of wine and two glasses. "But would you care for a little toast?"

She idly noted the label on the bottle. Mistralina Sun, her favorite. She smiled coyly, accepting one of the glasses.

"I would love to. And if you could tell me more about your research, I would be most delighted."

Truly, this man was her best investment so far.

* * *

 **So, we closing in on the grand finale. Cinder's plan is coming along, Master has perfected his Harrowed-creation, and things are not looking up for Jaune and his friends.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' 'reon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	42. Exfil

**Welcome to Ch 41 of TPA**

* * *

Jaune closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it go. Once upon a time, he might have been too nervous to relax like that on board of a bullhead taking him to some remote village that may, or may not, be under attack. But after years spent traveling with Leon, he learned how to relax and catch a nap in just about any situation.

You never knew when you'd get next chance to rest.

Besides, it wasn't like he was just lazing around. He was doing some very important work. A few more deep breaths, and all sound started to fade. His team's chatter, the bullhead's engines, the music coming from Ruby's headphones. The only sound that remained was his breathing and the rhythmic drumming of his heart.

Jaune slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a white room. Ever since Leon told him about the second awakening of the black swords, Jaune was doing his best to find the 'balance,' his teacher had spoken about. As vague it was, he had pretty good idea of where to look. That's why he was doing these little meditation sessions whenever he could, usually on their way to, or from, a mission.

He looked around and winced - this place still reminded him of Spring Valley. Mostly because of the small monstrosity in front of him. Back then, he tried his best to ignore it, but now he took a closer look at creature that he first saw in that damned town. Black skin, chubby body, with far too small limbs, and far too big head.

And those eyes. Jaune tore his away, looking for anywhere to focus his attention, but twin blue orbs, so similar to his own. Unfortunately, it was hard in a pure white room...space… wherever he was. So as usual, he looked back to his unwanted companion.

Like usual, it started crawling towards him.

Like usual, Jaune kicked it away, and watched it fly several meters, bounce off some invisible wall, and hit the floor hard.

Like usual, he hoped it would disappear, or at least remain where it was. But, like usual, it shuddered, got up, and started crawling back towards him.

Jaune scoffed and turned around. Usually, he got some sort of vision soon after he entered. Logically speaking, he probably could ignore the thing - it appeared it would disappear when the vision started. But for some reason, he just couldn't stand to be close to it.

Soon his vision began to swim. Moments later, he was in forest, staring at a much younger version of himself bursting out of his hiding spot behind a tree, sword in hand, and murder in their eyes.

 _Ah… that one._ Jaune shook his head. His first human kill. The memory was hazy now, but what he remembered was that, for some strange reason, he wasn't angry back then. Not really. Sure, it pissed him off what happened to the girl that died, but bandits? He shook his head.

They were trash. Monsters, worse than Grimm. It was pointless to get angry at monsters when they did something horrible - that was what monsters did. Instead of wasting your energy on screaming, getting angry, and asking 'why'. You should just take your sword in hand, and kill them.

Jaune smirked. Yes, this lesson he learned well. He spent a few moments wandering about, trying to recall the details of this incident. He couldn't walk too far away from his original spot, and the whole scene was static, frozen in time. Jaune often wondered what was purpose of these visions. His guess was that it had something to do with the whole finding balance thing. But how? He had no idea.

LIke usual, he started to wonder what could he have done differently. This time finding mistakes was rather easy. First of all, instead of wasting time behind that tree, he could circle the camp to get a better idea of the bandits' numbers. He might have even been able to free other villagers - honestly, it was small miracle they came out unharmed, none of bandits thinking of using them as hostages.

If he had acted fast enough, he probably could have killed all five bandits, and freed the villagers before the second group came. The bandits, seeing their prey gone and comrades killed, would probably have split up, searching for runaway captives, and the one who done it. Which would have made them easy picking. Or he could have just ignored them, and focused on getting the villagers to safety.

Jaune shook his head, staring at his younger self. He was such a kid back then, so naive. Still believing himself to be a hero, who comes in at the last second and saves the day. It didn't didn't take long for reality to start beating those foolish notions out of him. Heroes existed only in two places - fairy tales and graveyards.

This encounter here, his first kill - it wasn't the first time he'd seen how brutal the real word was, but now that Jaune thought about it - this was the moment when he finally started realizing how stupid his dream of becoming a hero was.

Soon the vision blurred, and the scene he saw made him wince. It was some small city, his fifteen year old self and Leon talking with an older, half bald, fat man. Well, talking was the wrong term here, if memory serves him right. They were hired by some traveling merchant to recover his cargo, stolen by some bandits. They apparently snuck into his camp at night, and were able to make it out with a whole cart. Leon accepted the job, since it didn't look too hard - only twenty or so bandits against two Aura users? Too easy. Or it should have been, if what merchant told them was true.

Instead of ragged, half drunk band, they faced a small army - well over fifty well geared, and disciplined men that were expecting pursuit. They even had a few Aura users among them, and some military grade weaponry.

It took over week of planning, and picking off stragglers around bandit's camp, before two Hunters decided to attack. Still, this was closest Jaune had come to dying ever since he started traveling with Leon - not counting the event in which he unlocked hs Aura.

Somehow, they managed to win, and located the merchant's cart - though Jaune barely remembered that. He was half conscious, bleeding from multiple wounds. Leon patched him up as best as he could, put him on the cart and drove off as fast as he dared.

The trip back took them four days, mostly because Leon didn't want to drive too fast to avoid upsetting Jaune's wounds. When they finally met up with the man again, he was furious. About their delay, about fact that the cart got damaged, about the fact that some of the cargo was missing, and some of the other was 'ruined by this useless brat's blood'. Jaune was pretty sure Leon was seconds away from killing the merchant where he stood. The old man, apparently lacking any semblance of survival instincts, even demanded that he and Leon pay him back for the losses that they apparently caused.

Jaune shook his head. They took the time to help this man. They accepted his meager pay, believing he was some simple merchant who just lost everything. As it turned out, it was far from the truth. Yes, losing this cargo would be a big hit for him, but not nearly enough to drive the man out of business.

Jaune couldn't help but stare at the red faced man, spewing insults and poking Leon in the chest with a fat finger. They fought for him, they bled for him. Jaune almost _died_ for him. And that's what they got in return?

Someone else might have just walked off. Some of these 'hero' types might even pay him, or offer to work it off. But, not Leon. First he punched the annoying man in stomach. He followed it with a kick to the face. Then he grabbed him by the hair, and put his sword to his throat, _daring_ his bodyguards to try something.

"Me and this kid just slaughtered over fifty men. Fifty armed, trained, and disciplined men, that were waiting for us. There were at least five Aura users among them. Now, I see two ways this can end. You either give your men the signal to back off, pay us, and we will go our separate ways, or you give them the signal to attack, and I'll have to take the money from your dead, mangled body. Either way, me and kid will get our payment, and we will be on our way. Now, take your pick."

As it turned out, the merchant wasn't complete idiot. This was just another incident, just another job for a client that turned out to be an asshole, trying to use them. But for Jaune, this incident held special meaning. This was the day when he finally understood how ugly the world was. How utterly worthless some people could be.

This was the day, when he finally buried his foolish dream of being a Hero. His vision swam again, and several other images quickly followed. Some of them Jaune remembered well, some barely at all. There was the time he and Leon stumbled on a caravan and decided to escort it… then the time he decided to spent about a week in a village in the middle of a Mistrailian swamp, assisting the local herbalist in curing victims of some strange plague. It was there where he created his first Elixir. Then there was that time when he was kidnaped by slave traders… Well, it was more like they found him passed out after he overdid it with Elixirs. How did their boss put it? They were, 'gathering poor, hopeless children, and offering them a brighter future in the entertainment industry'.

The skinny, pale man was so confident in his goons, and whatever drug they gave Jaune, that he actually was happy when he learned that the blond boy wass combat trained and had his Aura unlocked.

He sang a different tune when Crocea Mors tore through his throat. It took him and Leon almost two weeks to find and kill every last one of their group, but damn, was it worth it. Jaune smiled. Yes, ever since he got rid of that stupid dream of being a Hero, life became so much easier. His vision swam again, but no new memory appeared. Everything went grey, and then with a flash of light he was awake, staring into the green eyes of his partner.

"Jaune, we will be landing soon."

He nodded, checking his equipment. He'd taken part in evacuation actions only two times, but it was enough to make him hate this kind of job with a passion. It always amazed him how stubborn some people could get, doing everything they could just to make life harder for Hunters trying to get them to safety.

It was like some of them _wanted_ to be killed by Grimm. Jaune sighed, and prepared himself mentally, recalling Leon's lessons.

 _Remember Jaune, we are here to drag those people to a refugee camp, not to make friends. Be as polite as you can, but it's them who should do what we say, no other way around. If they don't listen, knock them out, and drag them to the evac point._

Jaune winced and looked through the bullhead window. It was getting dark outside, but he could see the lights of the village they were approaching.

* * *

 _It's going better than I thought…_ Jaune smiled and shook his head. Turns out having a celebrity on your team made it _much_ easier for people to listen to you. Jaune wasn't sure if it was a normal thing, or they just found the place where only Pyrrha's fans settled, but all it took was a few words from the red haired champion to get everyone mobilized. In less than thirty minutes, every single villager was gathered near the landing zone, only the most essential things packed. They waited patiently for their turn for evacuation. Pyrrha was walking among the small crowd, chatting with people, taking pictures, and giving autographs. She looked genuinely happy.

 _Probably the first time she can use her fame for something good._ Jaune mused, watching his partner with a small smile. The evacuation was going smoothly, and it looked like they would finish ahead of schedule.

Which was a good thing, since they had five more villages to take care of. Jaune sighed. He hoped other will go as smoothly as this one, he really did.

He just didn't really believe it.

* * *

The second one went as expected. The village mayor didn't take them too seriously, but after some persuasion, he did order the evacuation. Of course, there were a lot of protest, people refusing to leave their homes, and a few idiots declaring that they can take care of themselves.

This was when Jaune pulled out his trump card - a simple photo of approaching Grimm horde. It always amazed him how quickly people become motivated when they learned that several hundreds of humanity's worst enemy were coming at them. Still, the evacuation was messy - there was a lot of chaos, crying, people getting lost in the crowd, and even a few idiots trying to steal other people's luggage.

When the last transport ship left village, Jaune let out a breath of relief. He checked the time, and decided to call for a break. They were still ahead of schedule, and they all could use the time to catch their breath and grab something to eat.

"So, where do we stand?" Asked Ruby, walking over to him. Jaune was currently checking the tactical map he was provided, trying to figure out the best route for them to proceed. There were two villages that were relatively close to the approaching horde, that should take priority. One of them was south-east from their location. It was by far the biggest settlement, but it was in the opposite direction of the remaining three. How should they proceed? Go to the biggest one first? Take care of other three first? Go for two closest to the approaching Grimm first, then back to other two?

Split up?

Jaune sighed.

"Not bad. The first village went very smoothly, so we have a bit of spare time. I'm trying to figure how to proceed from here though."

"What's the problem?" She asked, leaning over, and Jaune quickly explained the situation.

"How about we split up? JNPR will go to this big one, and my team takes care of the small ones."

"I'm not sure. I would prefer to not split up." He hummed. "Mostly because we can't really afford to split our transport like that. We would need most of the ships to clear this big one in time… at best we could spare one, maybe two. And it's a pretty long trip to the refugee camp and back."

Ruby hummed, considering something.

"Then how about we group them up?" She said, pointing at two villages, further away from the Grimm horde. "These two are close by, we could organize an evac point in this bigger one, and make them help transport people from this smaller one over. We will then move to this one further ahead, put as many people on the bullheads as we can, and escort the rest by foot to the evac zone. That way we save some time, both by not having to organize everything three times, and moving those people further away from the Grimm."

Jaune hummed. This.. wasn't a bad plan. There was just one problem.

"Do you think it will be that easy? You saw how stubborn people in this village were, and let me tell you, it can be much, much worse. What will you do if they won't listen?"

"Weiss."

Jaune stared at his friend for a few moments, as if he saw her for the first time. Just when did Ruby become so ruthless? He sniffed internally. They grow up so fast.

"Ok, I think…" just then his scroll buzzed. He froze when he noticed who was calling and accepted the call.

"Yes?" He asked, lifting the device to his ear. He listened for a few moments, then just nodded.

"I understand."

"What was that?" Asked Ruby, curious.

"Mission control." He said, sitting up, and picking up his weapon. "Go get your team. We have to hurry."

"Wait, what? You said we were ahead of schedule!" She cried out, jumping to her feet.

"We were." He agreed, marching towards his team. "Unfortunately, it turns out the Grimm are too."

Ruby gasped.

"So, we splitting up?"

She asked, running up beside him.

"No. We are all going west."

"What about…"

"No need to go there now."

"You mean someone got them out already?"

Jaune paused, and let out a tired breath. He could lie to her, tell some half-truth that she would misinterpret, or just avoid the answer. But it wouldn't do her any good. She was a team leader too, she needed to have all the info she could to be able to make the best decision.

"Grimm." He answered simply.

Her eyes widened in shock and horror.

"But, surrivors…"

He shook his head. For a brief, very brief moment she looked like she would break down in tears. But then her expression hardened, and she just nodded.

"Then let's not waste any more time."

* * *

The first thing they saw was smoke, barely visible against the darkening sky. Next was the flames.

Then they heard it. The screams. And the roars. Jaune popped a bottle of Owl open and drank it all in one go. After a few seconds, the darkness in front of him turned grey, and he could make out the shapes of buildings, trees, and figures running below.

"See any flayers?" He asked. Blake shook her head.

"None. But my night vision isn't perfect so…

He nodded. It was a small bit of luck that there were no flying Grimm - it meant the bullhead could drop them in the village and remain airborne, giving them much needed air support.

Jaune focused on the burning village down below. He couldn't see any people on the streets, but there were a few buildings that the Grimm were doing their best to get into.

"Ok guys, remember. We are not here to clear out the Grimm, but to get any survivors out of there. Kill any that get in your way, but don't get too dragged into fighting. We have no idea how many of them there are, and how many more are coming."

"Jaune!" Ruby called out, slipping beside him. "Let's split up. RWBY will drop around the edges of the village, then we will start moving inwards, looking for survivors. You guys try to secure the evac zone."

Jaune nodded.

"Good plan. Get ready, we are coming in hot." Two minutes later, Jaune's feet hit the ground. He rolled and jumped to his feet, and was immediately greeted by the open maw of a Beowolf. He ducked, allowing the beast to sail over him, splitting it in half as it did. Two explosions, and sound of machine gun fire told him that his team was on the ground, and hard at work.

He took a deep breath, taking the swipe of another Beowolf on his shield, and slowly let it go, his sword separating the beast's head from its body. All doubts, all unnecessary thoughts left his mind, his mind focusing completely on the fight. His looked around, taking in the surrounding area.

 _Three roads in, North, north east, and south. Most the Grimm are coming from north one. About sixteen buildings facing the square, most in one piece, two staged by the Grimm._

He cut down another Beowolf, a plan already forming in his mind.

"We have to get to those buildings, there have to be survivors there." He shouted, charging ahead. He didn't look to see if his team followed, he didn't have to. Grimm dying everywhere around him were proof enough.

"Ren, Nora!" He shouted, pointing with his sword towards one of the buildings, a bakery if the sign above its doors were anything to go by. He turned to another building - a clinic, or maybe some kind of office. It was hard to tell. It didn't take the Grimm long to notice them. A few turned and snarled, then charged ahead to meet them head on.

Most continued to claw at the doors, walls, and hastily barricaded windows, driven into a frenzy by the terror of the people trapped inside.

Jaune and Pyrrha met them head on. The first Beowolf lunged at Jaune, maw wide open. The Hunter ducked and slashed, cutting the beast in two. The next one swiped at him with its paw. He took the blow on his shield, his sword piercing the Grimm's chest. He spared a glance around, looking for his partner. She was already ahead of him, four decaying Grimm left behind her, a fifth one sliding off her spear. He grinned and charged ahead. The two of them cleared the remaining Grimm easily. One quick glance around revealed no monsters in the immediate vicinity, so he tore the doors open, meeting several terrified gazes.

"You gotta move out, this building will catch fire soon." He shouted. The people inside - five adults and three children, reluctantly started to get up.

"Pyrrha, cover us." Jaune shouted, ushering people to move on. The fires spreading through the village gave enough light to see where they were going, but at the same produced a lot of smoke, making it harder and harder to breathe. They needed to get out of here fast.

"Bird, do you copy?" He called out, activating his earpiece.

"Loud and clear." Their pilot's voice sounded in his ear.

"How does it look from above?"

"No Grimm in the immediate vicinity, but there is another group coming this way. About fifty, sixty of them. ETA, thirty minutes."

"Ok, come back and sit down in the town square, we have a few civilians waiting for evac."

"Roger."

Jaune ended the connection, and contacted Ruby.

"We secured the town square, have fifteen people. How it's goin on your side?"

"We have twenty-five, me and Weiss are escorting them to your location. Yang and Blake found a breach in the wall, and are trying to secure it."

"Tell them to back off. Another group of Grimm is coming, a big one. Better that they not get caught alone."

"Got it."

Jaune sighed, looking around the square. It wasn't the worst place to defend, with only three roads inside, two of them being really close by. If they had to, they could hold this position for a long time, especially if they collapsed a few buildings for barricades. At least as long as no flying Grim appeared. A Nevermore, even single one, could easily mess things up for them. Ideally, they should be gone before the approaching group of Grimm hit them. The problem was that there were too many civilians for the bullhead to carry in a single trip.

Ruby appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a few rose petals falling on the stone floor around her. She eyed the group of terrified civilians behind him, then looked back to one of the alleys leading to the square. Jaune could make out vague shapes of humans approaching.

"They won't all fit into the bullhead." She said.

"I know." Jaune sighed. Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the bullhead's engines. Jaune's eyes narrowed. It somehow sounded different than before…

And then the sleek, white machine flew over them. And then another, and another, and another. Moments later, he could see several explosions from the direction the Grimm were coming. A few moments later, his earpiece came to life.

"JNPR, do you copy?" The familiar voice of their pilot sounded in his ear.

"Yeah. What the hell is happening?"

"Turns out there was Atlas assault squad stationed nearby. Called them for help, and well, they were free, so they responded."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. It certainly was nice to have some good luck for chance. Maybe they will be able to catch their breath now.

* * *

When Jaune reached the next village, it looked like a military camp. Soldiers, Atlesian Knights, aircraft, even some of those big, spider-like mechas.

 _What the hell is going on here?_

Jaune shrugged. It wasn't his problem - at least he really hoped it wasn't. For now, he had other things to worry about - namely securing food and a place to rest for his friends. Fortunately, the cafeteria was not hard to find, and open to everyone.

"What do you think, what's going on here?" Asked Yang, looking around once they all got their meals.

"No idea, and not really interested." Said Jaune. "But whatever it is, I have a feeling I don't want to get involved."

"I guess you're right." Said blond brawler with a sigh. "When I get back to Beacon, I think I'll sleep for a week."

Jaune smiled.

"You might get a chance pretty soon. From what I overheard, this whole area was already evacuated, so our job is done." Said Pyrrha

"Don't tempt fate." Weiss warned her.

The red haired champion chuckled.

"I mean, what could happen?"

"Jaune Arc?" An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind them. They turned, to see soldiers in Atlas uniform standing there.

The blond boy groaned, shooting his partner an annoyed glance.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Please, follow me. The captain wants to see you."

Jaune sighed.

"Ok, let's get this over with."

Nora leaned towards Pyrrha.

"You were saying?"

* * *

 **Poor Jaune, he just can't catch a break. At least their job went relatively easily…**

 **Well, the last few chapters didn't have too much action, but that will change soon. Like I said, we are closing in on the finale, only a few chapters remaining. Anyway, see you all next week.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' 'reon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	43. Decisions

**Welcome to Ch 42 of TPA**

* * *

Jeremy Coral was a short man in his early fifties. He had a sten, pale face, with scar running vertically across his right cheek. There were hints of grey in his dark-brown hair, but his blue eyes were sharp, and pierced the young Hunter the moment he entered the tent.

"Jaune Arc?" He asked, extending his hand.

The blond Witcher nodded.

"Yes sir. How may I help you?"

"Time is of essence here, so I'll cut straight to the chase. For the past two days we've been tracking the Fang's main base of operations. We know the person who is responsible for creating the chemicals used in several attacks, as well as their 'augmented' soldiers will be there, meeting with some of the Fang's commanding officers. This is our best shot to end this whole mess quickly. Problem is, we don't know exactly where they are. We got visual confirmation of people resembling said commanders in a few different facilities, no doubt doubles sent out to disorient us. Each group was accompanied by a cloaked figure, that we suspect is supposed to be this 'Master'. I believe you know who I'm talking about?"

Jaune tensed and nodded.

"Yes. I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to help."

Jeremy sighed.

"Problem is, we don't have enough men to hit all the facilities we marked as the potential main base. We have to pick one. We were hoping to identify the Master from photos, but as it turns out, it's very hard to find someone who has seen his face." He handed Jaune a white envelope with a red 'top secret' stamp on it.

"I heard you are one of such people. If you can identify him in any of these photos…"

Jaune nodded, and started looking through the black and white photography. There were quite few of them, many showing the same person from different angles. Jaune looked at each carefully, putting them away when he was sure none of the faces looked familiar.

 _It would be much easier if I actually could recall his…_

Suddenly all thoughts left his head. He was staring at the face of older man. The hood of a long, brown robe was pulled back, revealing grey hair, gentle brown eyes, and a slight smile. Jaune's grip on the photo tightened, his breath quickened, and it took a monumental amount of effort to stop himself from grabbing Jeremy by collar and demanding he reveal the location of this…

Jaune took a deep breath and slowly let it go.

"It's him." Jaune said, handing the photo to the Atlas officer. He took it, and studied it for a few moments.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

He sighed and shook head.

"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked.

"The facility where this photo was taken from is one of the most problematic. Far away, well fortified, and on top of that, close to Mountain Glenn. We expect very high Grimm activity there." He shook his head. "Never mind. Thank you for your assistance." He watched him for a few moments before speaking again. "Say, you came here with two full Hunter teams, right? And from what I hear, you are a Witcher?"

Jaune nodded.

"Well, Hunters-in-training to be precise."

"Then I want you to join this operation."

Jaune blinked. He hadn't expected that. Then again, this man was in charge of all operations in this region. So, technically, he was the commanding officer. He had the full right to order them to go. Then again...

"Excuse me, but this is a little sudden. You want a group of students go on such a delicate operation? Why?"

"LIke I said, we are short on people. If this were only the White Fang we were up against, then I probably wouldn't bring it up, but if the previous assaults on their facilities are anything to go by, there will be more than just Faunus fanatics in there."

Jaune tensed.

"Harrowed?"

"Yes. Mostly Ghouls, but we encountered several Wraiths. We have two Witchers with us, and a few Specialists, but this will be the largest facility we've stormed yet. I know you are just students, and normally I wouldn't brought this up, but…" he sighed. "We are really short on men. Especially Aura users. Even if we bring in every team we have in this area, we still will be cutting it close. And we can't wait with this, because if… no, _when_ the Fang learns that we are preparing an assault, they will go into hiding again. This is our best chance to end it quickly."

Jaune almost agreed. It was tempting, very tempting. But… both his team and RWBY were tired after days of work. They all need some rest.

"I'm sorry sir, but my team is tired, I can't just tell them to help assault a well fortified enemy base."

"I didn't expect you to. We are still waiting for all our forces to gather. We planned to move out tomorrow, around noon." He shook his head. "I don't like sending kids into such a heavy fight myself, but I have little choice here. I read your records, so I'm confident you can handle this. But I'll leave the choice to you. If you decided your friends are not ready for this, I won't force you."

Jaune hummed, then nodded.

"I see. I need to consult with my team. I'll give you answer tomorrow. Is that ok?"

"Yes. Thank you for your assistance. I wish you a good night."

Jaune nodded and left. Outside he paused, took a deep breath, and after a moment of hesitation, walked off towards edge of the camp. He didn't had any particular destination in mind, he just needed some time alone with his thoughts.

He was there. His nightmare, his nemesis, the man, no, the monster who almost took Sam away from him. The person who was responsible for some of worst moments in his life. He was right there. He could finally end it. All he needed to do was to accept Jeremy's offer.

And Brothers, how much he wanted to. Hell, he was prepared to go now, this very moment. Take his team and RWBY, or leave them behind if they didn't want to go, and take this abse down and finally put an end to the monster that had been chasing for so long.

Make him pay for what he done... what he tried to do to Sam. Get revenge for Clay, Ori, and everyone who had died in Spring Valley. For every person that monster had harmed, directly or indirectly.

But that would be a stupid, reckless decision. Leon taught him that. He should never, ever let his emotions influence his decision. Every contract had to be carefully considered before he accepted it. Especially if he was speaking for more than himself.

As team leader, he had a responsibility to take care of his team. Never accept contracts that would put them at needless risk. And no matter how you looked at it - this was a risky job. Very much so. He needed to carefully, and objectively, consider if the potential benefits were worth it.

Jaune sighed and shook his head. This was pointless, he was too shaken now. He needed to calm down.

After almost an hour of wandering, he decided to come back to his team. He found them in one of the many tents littering the Atlas camp. They were apparently allowed to stay there for the night.

"So? How did it go?" Asked Pyrrha, sheepishly.

Jaune shrugged.

"Atlas got intel on where the Fang command might be now., They wanted me to confirm the identity of one person. They will mount up for an attack tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment. "He also asked us to join in on the operation."

Silence fell over the tent, each one of them considering what Jaune's words meant. None of them were any stranger to combat, they had faced the White Fang before, but…one look at the size of the camp, and the amount of soldiers and equipment gathered, was enough to guess this would be a big operation. Far bigger than fighting a few terrorist on the docks.

"So… what did you tell him?" Asked Ren, watching him carefully.

"Nothing." Jaune answered, sighing. The tent didn't have any beds, but they had been given sleeping bags. ."Right now, I suggest we go to sleep. Tomorrow, we fill RWBY in on what's going on, and we make our decision."

"I think that is a good idea." Ren agreed, nodding. They didn't even bother undressing, just collapsed where they stood, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Jaune's eyes slowly opened to reveal a white space. He groaned, closing his eyes again.

 _Not now, please. Just let me sleep._

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like his plea would be heard. Soon enough, he heard the sound of his unwanted companion. Jaune scowled, and spun around, glaring at the little monster.

"Why do you keep trying? You should know by now you won't achieve anything. Whatever it is you are trying to do, you will fail. Again. So why do you keep trying?" He asked. Jaune didn't expected any answer, but to his surprise the little monstrosity paused, watched him for a few moments, and then continued his slow approach. Jaune's scowl deepened.

This time it took almost a minute before it got up, and resumed its slow approach. But neither this, nor the fact that it looked like it got actually hurt this time didn't brought Jaune any satisfaction.

He stared at this… thing slowly dragging its body towards him, its comically big eyes locked onto his. There was something strange in them, something familiar. Jaune shook his head, tearing his gaze away. Something he knew well, something he saw often when he...

No. No way. There was nothing similar between him and that monster. What was that thing anyway? Not Harrowed, that was for sure. Leon taught him how to check that he wasn't being possessed by one.

Some kind of Grimm? Even more unlikely. It first appeared in Spring Valley, and reappeared only now. Was it somehow connected to Master? If so, then it was just another reason to end this all quickly.

He breathed a sigh of relief when his vision blurred. He could hear something now… music? And people shouting, but not in despair…some celebration. A festival maybe? He smiled. Traveling with Leon wasn't all about hunting monsters, bandits, and nearly dying. There was a fair bit of partying too.

Jaune squinted his eyes, trying to recognize the details. The vision took a lot of time to form this time.

 _Which one might this be?_ The blond wondered, noticing a big, yellow and orange blob in the center of his vision. It had to be a bonfire, but that wasn't much of a hint. Every festival had a bonfire. A few memories come back, causing Jaune to smile. Ever since he discovered his Semblance, Leon had signed him up for every drinking contest they came across. A few times this led to them being chased out of town as cheaters, but more often than not, people simply had a good laugh seeing young Jaune beating old, grizzled veterans in drinking game.

Maybe this was one of those memories? Or maybe that one where Leon got completely drunk, and started hitting on that one bar maiden, that turned out to not be a maiden at all…or maybe that one, shortly after he awakened his Semblance, when they saved the village from a bandit attack, and the people threw a party to celebrate? He smiled. It had been really fun, and there was that one Faunus girl, three years older than him with big, yellowish eyes, that dragged Jaune to the side, to show just how grateful she was.

His grin grew further.

That was his first kiss. Might have been more too, if Leon hadn't found them.

He focused when his vision began to clear. He could see more details now. The people, the bonfire, tables filled with food. Buildings, made of rock… Strangely, there were no trees. And for some reason, he couldn't see the sky… no stars, no moon, no…

His smile died.

 _No… Not this one…_

All cheerful thoughts left his mind. He recognized this place now. This goddamn place.

Mountain's Heart. A town in south Mistral. It was a mining colony, they started off mining Dust, then found some rich deposit of iron and copper. After a few decades of constant mining, and finding several big caves, someone figured that there was enough space _inside_ the mountain to live there. So they did just that, moved into the heart of the mountain that gave birth to their town.

When Jaune and Leon arrived there, to inform them of a approaching Grimm horde, it was the first time the young boy thought their nonchalant response of, 'we will be fine' was warranted. There were only two entrances to the village - the main one was high on the mountainside, accessible only by aircraft, or a narrow path. The other one was at the bottom, well hidden and sealed by a metal door. There was no way acces it on foot, the only way up, or down, was by rope ladder.

The mayor calmly explained that they'd survived many Grimm incursions over the years, even far worse than the one that was coming. They had access to fresh water thanks to underground rivers, and enough stored food for several months, not to mention a few small farms outside, far out of reach of any non-flying Grimm.

He and Leon planned to leave town the same day, but the mayor insisted they stay overnight. They eventually agreed - something that Jaune considered the worst decision of his life. The Grimm horde hit the same night, but none of people from Mountain Heart's seemed to care. They even threw a small festival. Everyone was dancing and laughing - that was until the first beowolf showed up. It roared, and threw itself into the shocked crowd, claiming two people before Jaune cut it down. Before anyone could even think about asking any questions - more roars sounded, and the cave was quickly filled with black skinned monsters.

Jaune closed his eyes, memories he thought long forgotten flooding back. What followed after could only be described as pure chaos. People were running everywhere, their screams mixing with Grimm roars, and Jaune was desperately trying to figure out what to do. He killed every monster he saw, but it quickly became clear there were too many of them - so he grabbed anyone he could, and ran towards the tunnels leading deeper into mountain, to the emergency exit.

It was by sheer luck that he meet Leon in the chaos, and together they were able to help hold the horde off long enough for the civilians to retreat. Out for nearly two thousand people living in Mountain's Heart, they managed to save a little over two hundred. So few.

And yet, as it soon turned out, still too many.

Wounded, scared, exhausted, they started their trip down the mountain. But it quickly became clear that some Grimm had found their way into the tunnels as well. Trapped in tight corridors, the panicked people were easy prey. Jaune had no idea how long it took before the attack stopped, being so deep underground with nothing to judge the flow of time by. What he knew, was that by the time he and Leon were done with the Grimm, they were both on the verge of collapsing. And over half of the survivors had died, many more wounded.

By the time they reached the bottom level, only twenty remained. There they found out where the Grimm come from - part of cave collapsed, letting the Grimm inside. Too tired to try fight them, they decided to just run towards exit.

It was only he, Leon, and five civilians that made it out. And amongst them - the first real Hero Jaune met.

She wasn't a Huntress. Not even a guard. She was just an ordinary woman, trying her best to save herself and her few months old baby. Yet somehow, she still found time, and the strength, to save all of them. She was the one who calmed down the panicked crowd when they sealed the doors to the tunnels. She was the one who prevented them from breaking down completely after the Grimm attacked. She was the one who keep their spirits up, even as they started running out of food and water. She took a knife out of panicked man's hand, before he could kill his family, and himself. She was the one to convince everyone to stick together, to listen to him and Leon.

If it wasn't for her, he doubted anyone would made it out of those damned tunnels.

He remembered the moment when they walked outside. How the morning sun shone in her green hair, how it flowed on gentle wind. Her smile, how she squeezed her daughter tighter. Her gentle smile when she handed her to him. A single tear that feel down her cheek when she sealed massive doors shut, to prevent the Grimm from following them, and trapping herself in the dark with those monsters.

He remembered how he rushed to drag her out, how he banged his fist on metal surface, how he cried, begged her to come out. How Leon dragged him away, saying they needed to go before the Grimm found them.

Jaune grit his teeth, forcing long buried emotions back. In the end, her sacrifice was pointless. The first night one remaining civilians, a young looking man, walked out of the camp, and never come back.

When they woke up the next morning, they found a second one dead - he'd slit his own throat.

Four days later, the child died. Whether of hunger or illness, they didn't know.

Two days later, the last of the civilians was bitten by a snake. He suffered for days, before finally expiring.

Jaune and Leon somehow managed to reach the nearest village, it was the first time the blond Hunter didn't use his Semblance when drinking.

Two weeks later, when they were reporting what happened to some official in Mistral, Jaune realized something.

That woman, no, Hero… he didn't even know her name. She did all of this, she kept their group together even as they were dying one by one… and she died somewhere in the Wilds, without a grave, or anyone to remember her name.

It was so… pointless.

 _Come to think about it.._ he thought, when his vision blurred again, the next scene forming around him. _That is when I started hating caves..._

* * *

Jaune woke up suddenly, his hand shooting out, catching the one that was closing in on him.

"Good morning." A familiar voices sounded. He blinked a few times, staring at the person kneeling over him. Green eyes, red hair, and a small smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Pyrrha. Sorry about that." He said, getting up and letting her hand go. She shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I shouldn't have startled you."

"Yeah, she just wanted a picture of your sleeping face!" Nora quipped happily.

Pyrrha's face quickly matched her hair in color.

"T-that's not true!"

Jaune looked at her, then at the grinning Nora, and then he decided he would pretend that he didn't notice the scroll in Pyrrha's hand.

"All right, let's get going. We need to meet with RWBY and decided what we're going to do."

* * *

The command tent hadn't changed much from last night. Jeremy nodded to Jaune as he entered, his eyes sliding to Ruby who waved to him sheepishly.

"Welcome." He said simply, motioning for them to come closer. There were five other men in the room, all bent over a table with maps laid out on it.

"I take it that you decided to join in on the operation?"

Jaune and Ruby nodded. Really, his friends were all too eager to help the Atlas soldiers. Jaune tried to explain to them that this would be different than fighting Grimm. That they would face people. He wasn't sure if they understood, but he did what he could to let them make an informed decision.

"Yes. What's the plan?"

Jeremy nodded, and pointed on the map.

"This is the floor plan of facility. It's an old Valerian base, dating back to the Great War. Most of the buildings you see are barracks, food storages, and so on. The only two important ones are the communication tower, and this one," he said pointing to small, square building. " It's the entrance to the underground part of base. It almost certainly will be heavily guarded. A direct assault through here would mean massive casualties. Fortunately, we found a different road."

He tapped a few buttons on the panel in front of him, and a large holographic display appeared above the table.

"We split into four teams. One force will the attack base directly, to draw their attention. The second team will secure this spot - the emergency exits from the base. If the main force fails to capture them, they will almost certainly try to run through there. The third team will go through here. It's a cave complex, that comes pretty close to some of the underground storage rooms. They are not connected, but that's something a bit of explosives can fix."

"So, where do you want us?" Asked Jaune.

 _Please don't be a cave, please don't be a cave…_

"Here." Jeremy said, pointing at a single dot on map. It was rather far away from the main base, and Jaune couldn't see any buildings. "From what we were able to establish, it's an old mine. Not used for a few decades. The Fang moved in just two weeks ago, and started to move something from the main facility just two days later. We don't know what, but we suspect that it might be a chemical weapon they developed. Your jobs will be to clear out all hostiles, and secure the location. We don't expect much of resistance from the White Fang. According to our intel, no more than twenty people are stationed there. But it's very close to Mountain Glenn, and Grimm activity is high in the area."

"I see. What are we looking in terms of…" Jaune began, but was interrupted when someone ran into the tent, and walked up to Jeremy. They talked for a moment, before the older man sent off the newly arrived with an angry scowl.

"Ok, change of plans. There is a small village… more of resting resort really that didn't get evacuated yet. We began the action already, but we got Info that Grimm are coming towards their location." He looked up at Jaune. "our teams will go there and assist in evacuation. When you are done, you are to join the assault on the main base."

"Understood." Jaune and Ruby said at the same time, and marched out of the tent. Jaune tried to keep the scowl off of his face. A resting resort for rich folk? Yeah, this wouldn't be easy.

* * *

Jaune cut down one Beowolf, shield bashed another, and decapitated an Ursa that tried to bite his head off. Another charged at him from behind, but Nora smashed its head in. The Blond shot her grateful nod, and scanned battlefield. There were a few Grimm remaining, but it looked like it was over.

For now. At first evacuation had gone smoothly. But then, despite intel saying they were far away, the Grimm showed up. Apparently, somehow, the White Fang managed to transport them close to the city. How, no one knew, but Jaune didn't care. There weren't many of them, but enough to scare people, and that brought more.

They were fighting almost non stop for the past hour. They had to abandon the outer walls almost immediately, instead forming braces near the landing pad, and holding off the horde there. The only saving grace was that there were a few minutes of rest before each wave. Jaune sighed, and leaned on the wall of a nearby building. Most civilians had been evacuated already, the problem was that most of the city guard were out of commission too. So far, JNPR and RWBY were able to hold the Grimm off, but for how much longer?

Suddenly, his scroll boozled. Jaune frowed when he noticed who was calling, and accepted the call.

"Jaune Arc? Jeremy Collar here. We have a situation on target Beta. Two out of five of the primary targets were spotted there, codename Hawk and Master. They are guarded by a strong squad of elite White Fang soldiers. Team Beowolf is requesting support but, I don't have any soldiers to spare at the moment."

"Understood. We will head out as soon as we can." The evacuation was mostly done, what remained from city guard could hold on their own.

"Wait, that not all." There were a few moment of silence before Jeremy spoke again. "More Grimm are coming."

Jaune sighed.

"How many?"

"A lot. Might be biggest wave that hit you yet."

Jaune remained silent for a few moments.

"What do you want us to do?"

"You have two options. You can either go and help the Beowolves capture Hawk and Master, or you can stay and help defend the evac zone. I don't know if local militia will be able to hold on their own, but this is our best chance to get these two. Hawk is one of the Fang's most prominent commanders, according to our intel, he is the one in command of this whole operation. And Master… well, I don't think I need to tell you how important he is."

Jaune closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Understood" He said, ending the connection. "Ren!" He shouted. His teammate looked up from the older woman who he was helping get into an aircraft.

"Gather everyone. We have a situation."

"What happened?" Asked Ruby, when they gathered together a few minutes later.

"Trouble." Jaune answered simply, pocketing his scroll. "Two of the priority targets slipped out of Atlas' hands. They don't have any free soldiers to send after them, so we are going."

Ruby gasped.

"We can't! These people need us!"

"I know, but those Atlas soldiers need us too."

"But if we leave these people will die!"

Jaune took a deep breath to calm himself down. He wanted to stay. He wanted to protect these people, but that wasn't most optimal choice.

"Ruby, listen to me. A big horde of Grimm is on the way, this city will fall soon, with, or without us. All we achieve by staying, is killing a few more Grimm. But out there, we have chance to take out two of the people responsible for creating this mess. This is best choice in this situation."

"B-but… if we leave… people will die! The city guard can't hold the Grimm off alone. There are too few of them!"

"True." Said Jaune, steeling himself for what he had to say." Some people will die. Probably a lot, but in the long run, we will save much more by stopping the Fang, than by staying here."

"We are almost done, we need to hold of only for hour or so! Then we could join in with Atlas, and help them!" She cried out, her voice raising.

Jaune shook his head.

"One hour is too long. No one will wait for us that long. Neither Atlas, nor the Fang and their commanders. If we let this opportunity slip, this whole mess can go on for weeks. Staying here to help a few civilians get away faster, or ending this madness. I think we both know which one is more important."

Ruby stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

"H-how can you say that! These people will die without our help! And you want to leave them because…" she paused for a moment, then let out a desperate chuckle. "This is about that guy, isn't it? Master?"

"Well, yeah. Like I said, he is…"

"Is he really so important for you? Enough to let all these people die, just so you can get him!?" She screamed.

Jaune's fist tightened. Revenge? Of course he wanted it. But was she seriously suggesting that he was putting it before people's lives?

"Ruby, calm down. Don't let your emotions take control of you. I don't like this either, but this is best..."

"Don't lie! You just say that this is the best choice, and it's the most efficient, and that it's what a professional would do, but you just want revenge! You don't care about anything as long as you can get the job done! And when you find him, what will you do? You'll kill him, right? Just like you killed those White Fang at the docks! Just like you killed Rias! Because you don't care, do you? As long as you get the job done, as long as you get to be 'profesional' you don't care about anything, do you!?""

Jaune seethed. What did this little, papered, spoiled brat know? Did she have any idea what kind of things he had been through? What he had to do to survive? How often he risked his life to help people, often not receiving even a single 'thank you'?

"Ruby…" he growled.

"Why don't we just split up?" Yang said suddenly, stepping in between the two of them. Both Ruby and Jaune glared at each other for a few moments, before turning to her.

"JNPR can go help Atlas, we can stay here and protect the civilians."

"You won't last long alone." Jaune pointed out.

"What do you care?" Ruby shot back, walking past him. "We'll stay and protect these people."

"You might die."

"I know. But I won't abandon them. If you're so eager to chase this guy, then go. We don't need you."

Jaune took a deep breath. It was hard to remain calm, really hard. This stupid girl…

"Very well. It's your decision." He turned and marched towards the military bullhead, his team following him. "Lets go." He said simply, taking his seat. The pilot took off, and soon they were heading towards the next fight. He couldn't help but stare at the lone red figure standing atop the barricade, her cape fluttering in the wind. He couldn't see her face, but had a strange feeling her silver eyes were staring straight through his, at his soul.

He scoffed and tore his eyes away. He made the right decision. Ruby was acting like an emotional kid, wanting to play hero, where a cool head and rational thinking were needed.

He scoffed. Hero. What a dumb idea. She will just get herself, and her team, killed one day with attitude like that. He knew it, he'd seen it happen enough.

But what was this strange feeling in his chest?

* * *

 **So here we are. The situation gets tense, nerves are fraying and two viewpoints clash with each other. Ruby wants to save the people in front of her, while Jaune tries to look at things objectively, the 'bigger picture' if you will. Who is right, who is wrong? I honestly don't think this situation is something that can be put in such simple terms. I was doing my best to not make any of them appear 'right' or 'wrong' in this argument. They have just different viewpoints, different experiences and aspirations. Ruby wants to be a Hero, saving everyone.**

 **Jaune don't want to be Hero, since he thinks it's the way to an early grave.**

 **Or does he?**

 **On side note, this argument took** _ **forever**_ **to write. It's only thanks to JJD suggestion that I (hopefully) made it work.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	44. Facing Monsters

**Welcome to Ch 43 of TPA**

 **Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have wonderful time.**

* * *

He was in a cave.

Figures. He couldn't have some nice, fluffy vision to lighten his mood, right? Jaune sighed and looked around, trying to figure out what event he was seeing. He had plenty of memories involving caves, tunnels and other such underground structures - but surprisingly none of them were funny.

 _Lets see… rocky walls, dark, and damp…there is some rubble up ahead…_

He hummed, turning to look at his other self. Judging by the dark circles under the eyes, and pale skin, he must have been very tired, hungry, or sick.

Or all three at the same time.

Surprisingly, he didn't look _too_ beaten up, only some bruises. Judging by his height, Eclipse in hand, and the HIDE armor - it had to be something recent.

 _Now, where was I recently that involved me almost dying in a cave?_

He strained his memory, trying to recall. This corridor, or rather its floor… it was even, either polished intentionally, or simply by constant usage. It didn't looked like a mine, but neither was it some random cave somewhere in the Wilds. He could see some rubble up ahead…

And then it came to him. Spring Valley.

Jaune clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, but he could still see this scene as if he was there again. He wasn't even particularly angry when he saw his way out blocked. He was simply too tired for this.

And then he noticed a metallic glint. It was a door, hidden in shadow, something their group missed when they marched inside. It was not locked, and upon entering Jaune realized it was storage of some kind. Many different tools like shovels, pickaxes, buckets and so on sat in neat rows. After a few moments of looking around he walked, and examined the rubble closer. It was loose, and there was a sizable hole at the top. With some of the tools he found in the storage room, he could probably expand it enough to squeeze through. Instead, he just pushed his scroll with a message he recorded, and a canteen with the remaining purification agent through it, and ran back the way he came.

It was a stupid decision. Ori was heavily wounded, even assuming he was still alive, there were no telling if he could walk. The older man resolved himself to stay behind and buy Jaune at least some time to escape so that he can tell the others what happened there.

Sure, he included everything he thought important in his message, but it was not the same. If he died, Ori's resolve would be in vain. The best, course of action would be to retreat. But, while rummaging through storage, Jaune found a map of the main caves. Very detailed, but that wasn't what caught his eye. It was a few words at the top, written in bold, red letters.

"EMERGENCY ESCAPE ROUTE"

Jaune stared at it for a few moments, trying to memorize it. Thankfully, it wasn't too complicated. Then he ran back. A stupid, naive action, that allowed him to accomplish nothing except almost losing his life.

Soon the scene blurred, and another vision appeared. All familiar situations, and there was an easily recognizable pattern. Each showed him a time when he tried act like a damn hero.

And got nothing but new scars for it.

Jaune slowly opened his eyes, and looked over his team. They were all quiet, lost in thought. Probably still thinking over the things that were said when they parted ways with RWBY. Jaune sighed and leaned back in his set. He might have been a bit harsh on the young girl. And some part of him, a pretty big one, wanted to stay with her. It was not like Atlas _needed_ their help.

And he was very close to breaking, especially when he saw the look in Ruby eyes, as if his words physically hurt her. But he knew he had to stick by his choice. Because he finally understood what all those visions meant, and this last set only confirmed it.

He claimed he gave up on being a Hero. That he understood how stupid this dream was. But he still had tendency to follow the small voice in his head that told him to do things simply because 'it's right'. Well, it was time to kill the voice for good. Then, and only then, he would be able to achieve true balance.

"We are closing in. Hold tight kids, lZ is hot." The pilot's voice sounded in Jaune's earpeace. He nodded, even though man couldn't see, and readied Eclipse. He looked over his team. Each of them checked their weapons, and gave him nods, determined looks on their faces. Jaune allowed a small smile to appear on his lips. No matter what kind of doubts they might have had, they were ready and focused on the mission. He really found himself a good team.

Soon, the familiar sound of automatic gunfire reached Jaune's ears, interrupted from time to time by the sound of explosions. He grit his teeth. Atlas soldiers were professionals, they knew how to deal with Ghouls. The fact they resorted to using explosives meant that either there were so many of them they had to thin their numbers, or something bigger and nastier showed up.

 _Please don't be a Warper, please don't be a Warper…_ Jaune pleaded in his mind. Because if one of those things showed up, he was taking his team the hell out of there. Unless Atlas had some high-yield Dust bomb on hand, he was not coming close to it.

A few moments later, they could clearly see their target. A few concentrate buildings surrounded by a short wall. One of them was hugging the side of a medium sized hill. From what he could see, it had no doors and there was a big hole in it's wall. And through that hole a near endless stream of black shapes were pouring out.

"That… is a lot of Ghouls…" Pyrrha pointed out, shooting him a worried look. "Do they really expect you to kill all of them on your own?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No. At least I hope not. With that many, it would take hours for me alone to clean up. Considering we are here to…" an ear-piercing scream interrupted him. Jaune winced. They were still pretty far away, but the sound wave still hurt. He could only imagine how bad it was for the soldiers on the ground.

They landed soon after, in a small camp located behind Atlas' forces.

"Jaune Arc?" An older man greeted them as soon as they left the bullhead.

"Yes. How is the situation?"

"You saw it form above. We have a lot of Ghouls here, and at least two Wraiths inside the building. We have no idea where they came from, there is no way so many would fit inside the building. Unless someone messed up and gave us the plan for the wrong facility."

His expression suggested he didn't excluded this possibility at all.

"Do we have a plan?" Asked Jaune following him to a small tent.

"We have confirmation that targets Master and Hawk are inside, we spotted them entering about half an hour before, and again just five minutes ago. Although they are trapped, and we can take our time clearing out Harrowed before moving in and capturing them. Those Ghouls just keep coming, and the longer we stay here, the higher chance we get overrun by Grimm. We already had a few encounters, nothing too bad yet, but I'm not taking any chances."

He sighed and shook his head.

"We have no choice but go wild. If those plans are correct, this hill is actually an artificial one. Someone figured that if they hid the building under some earth, it would make it harder for Grimm to smell the people inside. And yes, I know Grimm don't work that way, but this structure was built almost a hundred years ago." He added when Jaune opened his mouth to speak.

"Got it. So, what's the plan then? I suppose we will be making our own entrance since the main one is blocked?"

"Correct." The Atlesian officer pulled out a large sheet of paper that had to be the plan of the building they would be assaulting.

"There should be an air vent here. It might be sealed, but it's nothing a few small explosives won't fix. You will move in and try to secure our targets. Unfortunately, we have no idea where exactly they might be hiding, so you will have to search the whole building. Fortunately for you, it was first built as a storage facility. Not many rooms in there, so it shouldn't take you too long."

Jaune nodded.

"We will be going in alone?"

"I'll give you one team as backup. I would love to send more, but we need people out here to keep those monsters at bay. Reinforcements from Vale are on the way, as soon as they get here we will try to break through inside."

"Understood. When do we begin?"

"Ghouls seem to come in waves, there is about ten minutes break every thirty minutes or so. I want you to go in when this wave ends. This give you…" he checked his wristwatch and hummed, "about twenty minutes to rest."

Jaune just nodded, and left the tent. Twenty minutes wasn't much, but maybe they will be able to grab something to eat.

* * *

Ruby slumped against the wall panting. This was the third wave of Grimm in the last fifteen minutes, and by far the biggest one. They were holding off somehow, and so far they hadn't lost anyone. But how long would that last?

 _It would be so much easier if JNPR stayed with us…_

She shook her head. They were gone, and there was no point in thinking about it too much.

She had people to protect.

She glanced towards the landing pads, and the group of ragged people gathered there, waiting for transport ships to come back. The evacuation was going well, and for a moment Ruby even hoped they might be done before next the wave of Grimm hit. But then, a large group of tired, hungry and wounded people showed up. Apparently, they were prisoners captured by the White Fang, and managed to escape only because Faunus terrorist abandoned theit camp - and them - when Grimm started to come close.

The fact that over half of them were Faunus themselves somehow made it even worse. Didn't the White Fang claim that they fought for a better future for all Faunus? She shook her head. Jaune was right, they didn't care about people.

She shook her head again. Just thinking about Jaune made her angry. She knew that stopping the leaders of White Fang was important, she wasn't a kid. But was it really alright to abandon people in front of her just to do so? Was it really ok to think about them just as numbers?

She didn't think so.

It wasn't like she was telling Jaune to not go. From what she heard, Atlesian soldiers had those two bad guys surrounded in some old building, and just needed help getting inside. Couldn't Jaune stay with them until the evacuation was over? Then they could all go and help the Atlesian soldiers together.

Plus, he was always talking about being professional. Wasn't abandoning the job like that very unprofessional?

"Stupid Jaune." She mumbled.

"You still moping about that?" Said Weiss, sitting next to her partner.

Ruby sighed. "I'm just angry. How could he abandoned them… and us like that. Would it kill him to wait a bit longer?"

"Who knows. Like he said, those two people, Hawk and Master, are dangerous. Stopping them is important. And since the soldiers encountered Harrowed, it makes sense that Jaune, as a Witcher, would go there."

Ruby slumped. Did she make a mistake? She knew she got emotional at the end, shouting out things she didn't really think. She looked down at her hands, slowly flexing her fingers. Sometimes, she could still feel Rias' blood on them. It wasn't as bad as the first week, but sometimes she spent far more time washing her hands than she needed to.

"But..." Weiss continued. "there is no guarantee that him going there will change anything. He is just one person. It might be that his presence will end up crucial to their success. It might be that he will help, ending up being an important factor in victory, but not a necessary one. Or it might turn out that his help will not matter at all, because they will receive reinforcements from somewhere else." Weiss sighed and smiled at her. "It's impossible to know what will happen. All we can do is take into account all the information we have and act based on that."

Ruby considered her words for a moment and sighed.

"But I didn't consider it all. I just got emotional." She hugged her knees, and rested her head on them. "I said some awful things to him. I didn't really mean them, I just got… I don't know. It wasn't anger, not really…" She glanced at her partner. "Do you think I made a mistake?"

Weiss shrugged.

"Like I said, I don't think it was matter of right and wrong. What I do know however, is that I would be very concerned if you made any other decision. My team leader is this annoying, slightly naive girl, that will try and save everyone, even if she knows it's not possible." She patted Ruby's shoulder, and got up. "Don't be too hard on yourself. This..." she made vague gesture with her hand "is something new to all of us. Just follow your heart. I'm sure we will do just fine."

Ruby smiled and nodded. She watched the heiress walk away. After a moment she got up, straightened her dress, and slapped her cheeks.

 _Alright, Ruby Rose is back in action._

She sprinted towards the landing platforms, checking on the refugees. Most of them were weak and tired, some needed help getting on the aircraft. She paused and grabbed one of them, a lizard faunus. It was a bit awkward, since he was almost twice as big as she, but he didn't protest when she helped him to his feet and walked him towards the bullhead.

* * *

"3...2..1…" The explosion wasn't the biggest Jaune ever heard, but it still made his ears ring. Ignoring it, he jumped in the hole that just opened, his team following close by. The room was dark, a hole in the ceiling they just blew up was their only source of light. But it was enough for Jaune's Elixir-enhanced vision. He quickly looked around, and noticing the room was empty, save for some rubble and broken furniture, he relaxed.

"Clear." He announced, moving forward. Six Atlas soldiers jumped inside, their guns at the ready.

"So, what's next, Spec?" Asked the point man, a big man named Stevens. Jaune sighed. He wasn't sure how he felt about being temporarily appointed as an Atlassian Specialist and leader of this group. He was certain every one of the six soldiers were much more experienced than him, and he really would prefer one of them taking command.

"We move in. Me and Pyrrha at the front, Nora behind us. Ren, you take rear guard. If we encounter Ghouls, shoot to disable, if you can. Aim for the legs. If it's a Wraith, retreat, and if possible give me cover fire."

"Got it."

They quickly fell in formation, sweeping the upper floor. It didn't take them long, there were only four large rooms there, all of them empty. In the last, they found two elevators - both operational, and a staircase. With a nod, they moved to the later, descending carefully.

The second floor was a bit larger, consisting of two corridors crossing in the center, and several doors on each. Jaune left Pyrrha and two soldiers at cross section, and started sweeping rooms. It quickly turned out this floor had living quarters. Each room had two beds, a small desk, and separate restroom. They were empty too.

It was on the third floor where they encountered the first enemy. Two ghouls spotted them as soon as they left the staircase. Both black beast snarled and charged at them. They didn't made it far. Atlesian soldiers calmly took aim, accurate shots from their rifles piercing Harrowed legs and shoulders. This floor was almost as big as two previous ones combined, but the layout was simple too. Two corridors forming a T. two large rooms on either side, and two smaller ones at the end. They split in two groups, and on Jaune's signal, burst into both rooms at the same time.

The first thing he noticed was the smell - an unmistakable combination of chemicals that screamed laboratory. The second was rows of large glass tubes, and some strange, greenish substance covering floor. Jaune shuddered. This looked very similar to the one hideout they busted when they were chasing Master in Atlas.

"What the hell are those?" Asked one of the Atlas soldiers.

"Nothing good." Jaune answered."Report to HQ to be careful with any assault. There might be a lot of Wraiths hiding here."

They spread out, searching the room. All the tubes were empty, and they didn't find much there. The second room was much the same. One of remaining rooms was a bedroom, the other a small office. Both were empty. After making sure there were no nasty surprises waiting hidden somewhere, Jaune left two soldiers to check the office for any useful information, and moved with remaining to next floor.

It was the same size, and it was one big room, filled with the same incubators. The floor was still wet from whatever liquid filled them, and a strange odor filled air.

"Let's move out. Try to not breath too hard." He commanded, as he hurried to the doors they could see on opposite end.

They moved down stairs quickly, and paused in front of the doors. This was it. If Master and Hawk were still in this building, they had to be hiding somewhere on this floor. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Jaune kicked the doors open and ran inside. The corridor, two doors on each side, and one in front of him. Again the split in two groups, kicking the side doors open at the same time. Both rooms were empty and apparently unused.

Behind the front doors was another short corridor, and another set of two doors at sides and one in front of them. The side rooms contained some cleaning equipment, laboratory glassware, Dust and so on. They stacked at the front door. If the plans they received were correct - behind those doors was last room on this floor. Jaune took a deep breath, checked if his team was ready and hurtled inside.

The room was big, and pristine clear. There were six incubators there, three on each side. They were bigger, and looked to be much more advanced models than what they saw before. There were six dark figure standing in a row in front of them. They kinda reminded him of Headhunters, with their mantis-like arms, and triangular heads, but they were bigger, and bulkier. Insect-like carapace covered they bodies.

But Jaune barely noticed all of that. Almost all of his attention was focused on a single person.

"Welcome." Said Master with a warm smile, spreading his arms wide. "Now, please be good children and die."

Six monsters roared and charged ahead.

* * *

 **And here it is. Jaune finally comes face to face with Master. What will the outcome be? Will he be able to get his revenge? Will he achieve his balance?**

 **And what will he have to sacrifice to do so?**

 **Find out in next chapter.**

 **As side note, this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but, you know, christmas. A lot of other things to do.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	45. Choosing Your Path

**Welcome to Ch 44 of TPA**

* * *

"Ruby!"

The red haired girl tried to get up. Her legs were trembling, her vision was blurry, and something wet and warm covered her right arm.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Firm hands caught her, a familiar and worried voice called from somewhere close.

"Here, drink this. It will help."

Whatever 'it' was, it tasted… she wasn't sure how to describe it. It wasn't unpleasant, not tasty, and it left a strange, tingling sensation in her mouth. It traveled down her throat together with the reddish liquid she tried to swallow, and exploded like inferno in her stomach. She gasped when a hot wave washed over her. It felt as if she was suddenly on fire, the heat increasing every second and then, just when she thought she would start screaming from pain, it subsided, leaving just a faint warmth in her belly, and a strange numbness in her wounded arm.

Ruby let out shuddering breath and stood up on shaky legs.

"I-I'm fine." She stammered out. She wasn't and both she and Yang knew it. Not that her sister was any better.

None of them were.

The last wave of Grimm had been a massive one. When they appeared, all Ruby could do was to gape mindlessly at the black horde rushing toward them. They didn't even try to defend the city walls, even with several Atlas soldiers that came to their aid soon after Jaune left, they would be spread too thin.

So they backed out towards the evac zone, collapsing several buildings to make makeshift barricades. They barely finished when the Grimm came, a massive horde threw itself at their ramparts with reckless abandon. There were so many of them.

Even then they were doing well. There were only two streets leading to evac zone, so it was easy to defend. It was looking good for them - and then White Fang had come. Their soldiers threw themselves at their positions with a ferocity rivaling that of the Grimm, and for some reason the black beast completely ignored the Faunus terrorists. They continued their reckless assault for nearly half an hour, and then suddenly backed off. Ruby and rest of the defenders managed to hold their position, but not without losses. Three of city guards and two the Atlas soldiers died, five more was wounded to the point they couldn't fight anymore.

Even weakened like that, they still managed to hold the Grimm at bay. It was hard, it was exhausting, but somehow they manage to push the dark horde back. Relief almost made Ruby collapse then and there. They did it. They won.

And then Fang was back, this time with prisoners.

Eight people. Young and old, men and women, human and Faunus. Beaten up, hungry, terrified, with only tattered rags for clothes.

One of Fang soldiers, no doubt the leader, made a speech. He told how the time of reckoning had come. How Humans would pay for their crimes, how justice would be served. Then they started killing prisoners.

Slowly. Painfully. In ways that both other prisoners, defenders, and any civilians still waiting for evacuation could see. Or at least hear.

Ruby never hated anyone in her life, not truly. And certainly she hadn't wish death on anyone. But then, standing on the ramparts, clutching her eyes shut to not see the things happening behind her, covering her ears to muffle the screams just a little bit?

She really wished she had some ammo for Crescent Rose left.

The Grimm came back soon after, in even greater force. Ruby, her team, remaining town guards and Atlas soldiers, even a few civilians who volunteered - they fought, they fought as hard as they could, but it was too much. Slowly, but surely they were giving ground.

Ruby huffed and flexed her arm. The numbness was almost gone, along with the wound. She felt weak, and her head was spinning - something Jaune warned them could happen if they used his Elixirs when low on Aura. But Ruby had to admit, even with those side effects, they really saved them a few times already. The first one who had to use one was Blake, when she was too slow to dodge a Beowolf. Second was Weiss, when one of the Fang soldiers impaled himself on her rapier, just so his comrade could stab his spear into her shoulder. Yang basicly punched his head off his shoulders, and dragged wounded and stunned heiress away.

They were all exhausted, low on Aura, Dust, and ammo. But they had to hold on.

 _Just a little bit longer._ Ruby thought, squeezing Crescent Rose tighter. No matter what, they would prevail.

"Here they come!" Someone shouted. The frenzied horde fell upon them soon after.

* * *

Jaune stepped back, panting lightly. Everything looked blurry, but strangely clear at the same time. Most of his surroundings was blurry, he couldn't make out and details, but then again he didn't need to. He had other things to focus on.

The dark-brown outline surrounding the Headhunter in front of him twisted, flying towards its right arm and shooting towards Jaune's face. The monster's arm followed the trail of it's Aura an instant later. He ducked, the Headhunter's claw missing his head by mere millimeters. It let out an angry hiss, that quickly turned into a pained one, when Eclipse bit into its stomach. Unfortunately, its body was far tougher than any Harrowed Jaune had faced. Instead of bisecting the monster, his black sword only bit few centimeters in.

It raised its hand again, preparing for another strike. Jaune tore his sword free, and dived under its arm. The Harrowed spun around, ready to face him again, swinging its scythe-like arms wildly.

Jaune started backing off, dodging and deflecting as best as he could, wincing every time one of strikes slipped past his defence. Fortunately, the remaining Atlas soldiers and his team were enough to keep the remaining five monsters busy. That allowed Jaune to fight a single monster at a time.

And try to figure out how to kill it for good.

He winced when his foot caught on something, momentary throwing him off balance. He desperatly ducked, the Headhunter's arm taking a few hairs off his head. Jaune groweld, and pushed onto his feet, deflecting the follow up strike, and cutting the offending limb at shoulder.

Harrowed hissed, then let out an all too familiar sound, as if it was choking on something. Jaune cursed and rushed in, Eclipse taking its head off in one clean cut. The Headhunter's body remained standing for a few seconds, then slowly crumpled to the floor, like the puppet with its strings cut. It twitched a few times, then stilled. He sighed, and focused on the wisp of corrupted Aura that started leaving its body.

When six massive Headhunters fell on them, Jaune could only curse and shout out for the Atlas soldiers to back off. He didn't know if these specimens had the same ability as the one he faced in Spring Valley, but he'd rather not take any risk. Reluctantly, the four men did as he told them, backing off to the corridor leading to this room and doing their best to provide cover fire.

Jaune didn't know what Master did, but these six were bigger, faster, stronger, and dare he say, smarter than the originals. They worked together quite well, covering each other, and trying to separate the four teens. But by far the most annoying thing about them was their ability to resurrect.

Jaune had no idea how it worked, he could clearly see what little Aura was left in their body leave when they got 'killed', but after just a few seconds they would get up. Normally in a situation like that, he would suspect some kind of control-type Aberration - many of them had the ability to animate dead bodies, but it didn't look like that was the case. If it were, he would be be able to see the controlling monster with his Aura vision - but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see any other Harrowed in the room.

Jaune sighed, and readied his sword when he noticed Aura filling the dead body in front of him again. He spared a quick glanced towards his teammates, and relaxed a bit when it was clear they we not in immediate danger. Master ran off somewhere soon after the fight started, and as much as Jaune wanted to follow, he knew that leaving his team here wouldn't be a good idea.

So instead he stayed behind, and tried his best to figure a way to kill these monsters for good. At first it looked bad - they could regenerated at an extreme rate, and even after Nora blew one of them to pieces, it reformed soon after. Seeing it Jaune just sighed, memories of the Harrowed he hunted at initiation flashing in his mind.

 _Now, how do we deal with it?_ He thought, dodging the first strike of the newly resurrected Harrowed. He noticed that just after getting up, they were more… vigorous. They moved, and attacked, faster. They were more agile too. But it quickly faded, and they become slightly slower, and slightly more reckless than before. They also seemed to have less Aura in their bodies.

 _So it's not a perfect resurrection, they grow weaker each time._

Jaune sighed. There was no way of knowing. Maybe using Dust to burn, or freeze them would get better results, but he doubted it. He deflected another another strike, ducked under the swipe, and buried Eclipse into the gap between the plates covering the Headhunter's torso. The beast hissed angrily, and tried to pin him down, but Jaune had already retreated. It lunged after him, but the blond Witcher sidestepped its charge, removing its head with one quick strike.

 _I guess I'll just have to keep killing you until you die for good._

He thought, watching as the monster he just put down started to twitch, a new head slowly forming in place of lost one. How many times had he killed it already? Six? Seven? He wasn't sure anymore. What he did know was that attacking it in this vulnerable state, as tempting as it sounded, was a bad idea. He glanced at his left arm, traces of the black sludge still present. It didn't eat at his Aura anymore, and looked more like dried up paint rather than a pulsating, stinking, _living_ goo that shot out of the Headhunter's chest after he cut it open.

But it was still enough to bring the memory of Clay's last moments to his mind.

Eventually the Harrowed got up, hissed and charged ahead, faster, stronger, more feral than before. Jaune ducked under a swipe, sidestepped a downward cut, and jumped back when the monster tried to bite his face off.

Another strike came, a wide, reckless attack that left it wide open. Jaune scoffed, ducking under it and scoring a deep cut on the monster's chest. It hissed and lunged at him, both arms raised high. The blond Witcher sidestepped the reckless charge, Eclipse tearing through the monster's chest. It stumbled and fell to the ground, unmoving.

Jaune spared a quick glance at rest of his team. Two Headhunters were lying on the floor, hissing angrily, their legs shattered. The remaining three were locked in combat with the rest his team.

lond sighed. It wasn't the first time he faced Harrowed with extreme regeneration ability, but they usually had some weak point. Either there was a spot in their body where most of their Aura was concentrated, a 'core' as it was often referred to. However, he couldn't see anything like that. Another strange thing was that even though he could clearly see significant amount of Aura leaving their bodies when killed, when they got back up it seemed as if they regained all of it, even though he couldn't see where it was coming from.

He could hear some static when his earpiece come to life.

"Hey Spec, I got word from HQ. They will be beginning assault shortly." asked Stevens.

Jaune readied his sword. The Headhunter was back on its feet again.

"Got it. You reported our situation?"

"Yes. They said they will send some Witcher up here as soon as they clear ghouls down there."

Jaune didn't answer, instead focusing on the monster that was currently lunging at him. He dogged the scythe coming for his head, ducked under next the swipe and cut at the Harrowed knee. Eclipse bit in deep, but he failed to completely cut it off. Jaune jumped back, narrowly avoiding the counter, then jumped back a few steps observing his opponent.

 _How do you do it? What is your secret?_

Harrowed couldn't produce Aura on their own, that was common knowledge. The only way for them to increase their reserves was to absorb it from other living beings - something only Wraiths could do. Some people theorized that by eating living beings, Ghouls absorbed a bit of their Aura too, but if it was true, there was no way to confirm it.

Every single Harrowed Jaune had ever encountered, or heard off, died when all the Aura in its body disappeared. But these things… for some reason they were able to come back to life, no matter how often they fell. He tried to purge one with Eclipse, but not only did they have much more Aura than a regular Class 1 Harrowed, but they regenerated faster than he could absorb. The question how, still remained unanswered. Jaune didn't share his worries with his team, but if Master managed to create Harrowed that could regenerate their Aura faster than the black swords could purge it...

He shook his head. No, it wasn't possible. Some types of Harrowed, like Twins, could sahre they aura with other, but that would require another monster, and one of first things they tried was to kill all six at the same time.

Needless to say, it didn't work.

 _Just fucking die already._ The blond groweld, yet again ducking under a wide swing and thrusting his sword towards the monster's neck. But this time it twisted, narrowly dodging his strike. The counterattack come almost instantly, all Jaune could do was clench his teeth and try to harden his Aura at the place of impact. There was a white flash, and a second later he slammed into the wall on opposite side of the room. He coughed, and tried to get to his feet, but instead threw himself to the side when he saw the Headhunter lunging at him. The beast followed, swinging wildly, not giving him a chance to recover.

Jaune knew he couldn't dodge like that forever, he needed something to distract his attacker, even just for a second. He rolled to the side, avoiding an overhead strike that shattered the floor in the place he was just a second ago. He jumped to his feet, then jumped back, narrowly avoiding a slash aimed at his neck, and cursed when he slipped on a pebble, losing balance yet again. The Headhunter loomed above him, arm already raised to strike him down.

A short burst of automatic fire caught it in the chest, another shot hit its head, yet another its leg. It staggered, and hissed angrily at Atlas soldiers. The distraction lasted only for a moment, but it was all Jaune needed - Eclipse removed the Headhunter's leg, followed shortly by its head. Jaune staggered back, and leaned on his sword, panting. Fighting, and keeping up his Aura vision all the time was draining him fast. With every moment his reserves dwindled, and the risk of Rebound hitting him increased. Sure, he and Ren managed to make new version of Dawn, that had much lighter side effects, but any distraction now could prove fatal.

A sudden explosion shook the building, and soon after they could hear the muted sound of gunfire coming from outside.

 _Guess the Atlesians finally started their assault…_

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed in warning. Without wasting a second, the blond Witcher threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding lunge from one of remaining Headhunters. It landed next to its fallen brethren and hissed at him angrily, but didn't move to attack. Soon after, the remaining four joined up, forming a rough circle.

"What are they doing?" Asked Pyrrha standing next to Jaune.

"No idea, but..." he didn't get chance to finish. One of Headhunters raised its arm and buried it in the chest of the one standing next to it. The impaled beast did the same thing to the next one, then another one joined in. Four Hunters watched in shock as five monsters started tearing each other apart.

"What the…" Nora whispered.

In just a few seconds all that remained from the six Headhunters was a massacred corpses. They all stared at it for a few moments, frozen in shock.

"What the actual fuck!?" Stevens finally screamed.

"I would like to know myself…" Jaune answered, carefully observing the bloody scraps. He couldn't see any traces of corrupted Aura in them. When almost a full minute passed and none of the corpses got up, he slowly approached, and poked the closest one with Eclipse. There was no reaction.

"I think they are dead for good now…" Just to be sure he stabbed every one, draining what little Corruption was left in them. What remained behind didn't even resemble a human body - just a mass of twisted flesh.

"So, it's over?" Asked Stevens, walking up to them. He pointedly avoided looking at the bloody mess that the Headhunters left behind.

"Well, those six will not bother us anymore, that's for sure." Jaune said, taking a few deep breaths. Surprisingly enough, he couldn't feel any nausea, or headache.

 _Looks like the new recipe works as intended._ He thought with a smile.

"Let's get going. Better not give that bastard time to set up more surprises."

They briefly considered taking the elevator, but eventually decided against it. The trip downstairs was short, and soon they stood before two large, wing doors. They stacked up on the door, Jaune as the lead man, Pyrrha behind him, then Nora, Ren, and the rest of Atlas soldiers. When his partner tapped his arm, signaling everyone was ready, the blond Witcher burst through the door, noticing a few things.

The room they were in was unnaturally clean. There was no furniture here, safe for two simple chairs and a wooden table, and everything was so polished it was almost shining. The front wall of the room was made mostly of glass, so they had a good view of the massive hall outside of the room, currently filled with some crates, cages, and Ghouls.

A lot of Ghouls.

But the thing that caught his attention the most was around twenty Ghouls in the room, surrounding them in a half circle.

And the six massive Headhunters standing behind them.

"Fuck" Jaune couldn't help but to agree with Stevens assessment of their situation.

* * *

"No..I...can…"

"You can shut up, and stop moving. You will upset your wounds." Yang growled at her partner. Blake tried to say something, or maybe get up from her stretcher. Yang pushed her back lightly, signaling two men to carry her away. The black haired girl struggled for a moment, then slumped, unconscious.

Yang wished she could join her, but she didn't' have the luxury of taking a nap. Weiss fainted a few minutes earlier, due to Dust oversuage and Aura exasution. Blake got swarmed by crazed White Fang soldiers. Her Aura shattered, and the Faunus girl suffered quite a few serious injuries. One of medics still remaining in the evac zone assured them it wasn't life-threatening - as long as she gott treated and tried not to move too much.

The blond brawler sighed, and walked back towards the last barricade separating the evac zone from the horde of monsters. Thankfully, this one was narrow, only three meters or so. Unfortunately, it was manned by only five people - Ruby, two Atlas soldiers, the last remaining city guard and herself.

 _This… is not looking good."_ Yang thought, standing beside her sister. They were on the last leg, and new Grimm and Fang were keep coming. Could they really defend long enough for all the civilians to evacuate?

Twenty minutes. According to one of pilots, that was how long they had to hold on.

So little. But as new wave of enemies rushed their position, Yang was sure it would be the longest twenty minutes of her life.

She just hoped it wouldn't be the last.

* * *

Jaune cut down another Ghoul, parried the scyther-like arm of Headhunter, and scowled when something bit him in the leg. Just as he was considering which of the two enemies to focus on, something green rushed past him. The Headhunter let out a surprised sketch, his torso swelling a bit. It staggered and fell, suddenly deflating and slumping to the floor.

"Thanks:" Said Jaune, cut off the head of the Ghouls that still tried to bite his leg off.

"No problem." Said Ren with a small smile. He'd long since abandoned his weapons, them not being very effective against the heavily armored targets. And while his Aura Arts were meant for fighting Grimm, they proved quite effective against Harrowed too,

Jaune slumped against the wall of cave -because of course there had to be a cave - and let out a heavy breath. The situation is mostly under control, any remaining Ghouls should be soon cleared out by Witchers that came with the Atlas reinforcements.

"Are you alright?" Asked Pyrrha, walking up to him.

"Yeah. Just tired." Things were looking bad for them for a moment. As soon as the second fight against Headhunters started, they realized the creatures were much weaker than before. They still had this annoying ability to resurrect, but this time they could get up only three times, before they died for good. Unfortunately, new ones were still coming.

It was Pyrrha who first pointed out that there was always exactly six Headhunters. Soon they figured out why - it wasn't that new ones were coming from somewhere.

The dead Headhunters were possessing the bodies of Ghouls. They were much weaker than the first time, but grew stronger over time. The reason why become clear when Jaune took a moment to observe one with his Aura vision. Apparently they were able to absorb corrupted Aura from their surroundings.

So each time they cut down the Ghouls, the Headhunters grew stronger. Each time they cut down a Headhunter, it possessed the body of some Ghoul, and joined the fight again. This was a battle of attrition that their small team couldn't win - thankfully, they didn't have to. After a few very intense minutes, the Atlas main forces arrived, and soon the attention of the Harrowed shifted form them to the much bigger threat.

This allowed Jaune and his team to look for Master and Hawk. They found both of them in an underground room that, according to the plan they had, shouldn't exist. He still could remember the feeling when he looked in the eyes of the man who was plaguing his dreams for over two years. He was close now, so close, only a few meters away. And the only thing standing between them was one Faunus terrorist. Jaune would freely admit to being glad when they refused to surrender. The fight was short and brutal, and soon both Hawk and Master were lying on the ground. The Faunus was unconscious, after having a close encounter with Nora's hammer.

Master was clutching his bleeding arm, and looking in Jaune's eyes, along the blade of Eclipse that was resting on his throat. Part of him, a big part, wanted to end it right there, to see this monster's head roll off his shoulders. But some other part of him hesiated. Was it the right thing to do? Wouldn't it be better to capture him alive, to let him answer for his crimes in court?

This moment of hesitation cost him. Suddenly, one of the walls opened, revealing a long, dark tunnel. They could hear the sound of some machines coming closer and closer and closer…

A single train car stopped just before the opening. Its wall opened, and around twenty Ghouls poured out, one of them turning into a Headhunter. Jaune cursed, and had to jump back to avoid being squashed by one of them. Taking advantage of this distraction, Master boarded the train car, which drove off a few moments later.

It came back around twenty minutes later, carrying another group of Ghouls. Jaune and his team managed to kill them off, but the train car drove off before they could board it. No one knew where the train was going from, but it had to be some other base, and a bigger one, judging by the fact it was bringing Ghouls with it every time.

Jaune sighed. Their only option was to board it, but he didn't want to risk it with such a small team. They were all exhausted, and needed some rest. Thankfully, all the Ghouls above the ground were cleared off, and the Atlesain forces were now forming team to follow Master.

"Hey, Spec." Stevens called out, walking up to him.

"Hey. What's up?" Jaune got up. Stevens glanced around, and then looked at Jaune, expresion serious.

"There is a situation outside. The city you were helping evac before? We got a request for support from them a while back. Apparently they got hit by not only Grimm, but White Fang too."

Jaune tensed.

"Are we going to help them?"

Stevens shook his head.

"No. Brass decided taking out Master is more important. They believe these tunnels lead all the way to Mountain Glen. We suspected they might have a base there, but we weren't able to find anything yet. They want to mount a full scale assault."

Jaune sighed.

He heard some of the Atas soldiers talking about how Faunus terrorist acted. They would drag a prisoner in front of the settlement, where everyone could see them, and then torture and kill them. Then, accompanied by the Grimm drawn by all the negativity, would attack. Could RWBY hold off such an assault?

The answer was obvious.

No. Even with the help of the local guards, The Grimm alone would be hard enough to stop. They wouldn't be able to hold off White Fang too.

They would die.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Steven sighed.

"The old man said that we will need every man for this assault. But, technically, you are still students, so it's a bit blurry when it comes to who you answer to. If you want to go help your friends we can spare a bullhead to take you there."

"But no men?"

Stevens shook his head.

Jaune closed his eyes, thinking. RWBY was in trouble. The chance they got out of this were slim, basically none. He wanted to help them, he really did.

But…

If situation was as bad as Stevens made it sound like, could the four of them make any difference? Even assuming they made it in time, there was a high chance it would be already by over. Even if not, he would just risk the lives of himself and his team.

Alternatively, he could just abaddon RWBY. Join Atlas in their assault on Mountain Glen. It wouldn't be safer, by any stretch of the imagination, but they would be part of a bigger force. Have a better chance of receiving help if someone gots wounded.

Plus stopping Master, and possibly taking out the enemy's main base was far more important than saving a few civilians, and one team of Hunters in training, even if they were one of best of their generation.

Even if they were his friends.

Jaune opened his eyes, looking at the man in front of him. This was it, wasn't it? The moment when he had to make a decision. With far more at stake than just where to go. He had to pick his path.

He recalled all the lessons Leon drilled into his head, all his advice.

A Hero would rush to help his friend without hesitation.

A Professional would calmly analyze the situation, and pick the solution that would produce the best results, all the while maximizing his chances of survival.

Looking at it like that, it was obvious what he should do.

Jaune sighed and gave his answer. Stevens just nodded, and walked away.

* * *

Ruby shivered slightly when something cold touched her cheek. She wasn't sure what it was, but welcomed the new sensation.

Mind numbing exhaustion and pain got boring pretty fast. She idly noted that the White Fang grunts surrounding her stopped kicking and hitting her. It didn't really matter anymore, she hurt so much that she could barely feel the new hits anyway. They were shouting something, one of them grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head up.

She looked up at a very angry face of some dog Faunus. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't understand what. Something cold fell on her cheek again, and she realized it was snow.

For some reason she started recalling all those times when she and Yang played in snow. Sometimes just two of them, sometimes with their father or uncle. She even vaguely recalled her mom playing with them too.

Her head snapped to the side, and it took her a moment to realize she was hit again.

 _Heh. I guess they didn't liked what I did to their leader._

Considering she left man missing an arm and a leg, she wasn't really surprised. Those… Knights, like they call themselves were apparently very fond of the lion Faunus that lead them.

When they prepared in front of their last barricade with five new prisoners, something in Ruby snapped. She knew they had no chance to hold off if even more Grimm came. Especially if Fang soldiers attacked at the same time. She had to do something to stop it, otherwise the people they were protecting would die.

Yang would die too.

She had to somehow make the Fang focus on her, and lead them away from the barricade. With her Semblance she should be able to avoid them long enough for… Well she wasn't sure for what, but at the very least she could buy time. Taking the Fang attention was easy - after she wounded the leader, they went into a single minded fury, focusing solely on the little girl who harmed their 'glorious leader'.

Running away was easy too - at least for awhile. She greatly underestimated how exhausted she was, and how determined they were to get her. She had no idea how long their little game lasted, but she eventually collapsed, too tired to move, and the Faunus appeared soon after.

Then the beating started. At first she tried to fight back, but she was just too tired, and they were too strong, and there were so many of them. She fell and curled up, trying her best to not cry.

She just hoped she bought enough time for everyone else to evacuate.

She hoped Yang wouldn't try to follow her.

But above all else, she hoped the pain will end soon.

She was barely conscious at this point, but she still recognized the sound of bullhead engines. A small smile appeared on her lips. So she did it. She succeed.

She probably should feel happy, or proud, but the only thing she could feel was pain and exhaustion.

So when the Faunus holding her hair buried his sword in her chest? She was actually a bit grateful.

* * *

 **Ok, so I missed one chapter last week, but I hope you can forgive me. Christmas and New Year proved to be very distracting.**

 **Anyway, here is new chapter. Just your normal stuff here, nothing too exciting. See you next week.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	46. Awakening

**Welcome to Ch 45 of TPA**

* * *

This was madness. Pure madness. Maybe he had overdone it with the Elixirs, or maybe he had gotten hit in the head too much, but he most certainly had gone insane. How else could one explain what he'd done?

Sure, assaulting the White Fang base in Mountain Glen wasn't something he would consider safe. Especially considering the fact that the Faunus terrorists knew they were coming. He knew it would be hell. Brutal, bloody hell.

But rushing off to help team RWBY was straight out insanity. They were overrun. According to reports, only handful of civilians reamined on the inside, along with two members of team RWBY. Who, Jaune had no idea, but they had no chance to withstand the onslaught of Grimm and White Fang. Could his team really turn the tide?

Probably not. Even assuming they made it in time. He knew - they will arrive only to find city completely overrun, those who didn't manage to escape dead. The city was in flames, and he could see the dark shapes of Grimm. Surprisingly, most of them were just running around aimlessly, instead of rushing towards the evac zone. But the sheer number he saw on the way made him nervous. If all those Grimm rushed them, they were done for, no questions asked. Whose idea is it to come here?

Oh right. His. It was crazy, irresponsible, possibly suicidal. And worst thing?

He didn't regret it at all.

Their pilot either had nerves of steel or a deathwish, because he ignored multiple Nevermore flying by their bullhead, and dropped them almost at evac zone. As soon as they landed, the four teens rushed to help lone figure trying to keep the Grimm away from the terrified mass of civilians huddled near the city wall.

Yang started at them for a few seconds with blank a expression, then collapsed to her knees. Jaune rushed to the blond brawler, taking off one of small bottles on his belt.

"Here." He said, pressing it to her lips. Yang was covered in bruises and cuts. Her left arm was hanging limply by her side, and there was a nasty wound on her right thigh. Judging by the soft yellow glow, she wasn't completely out of Aura, but very close to it.

"Looks who's back. Atlas soldiers were not as fun of company as you thought?" She choked out between heavy breaths.

Jaune shook his head. How could she joke in such situation, he had no idea.

"Nah, we just did our part and decided to let them earn their paycheck. Can't do everything for them, you know." He quickly checked Yang's injures. She could use some first aid, but unfortunately, he didn't' have time for that, if sounds of combat behind him were anything to go by.

"On a more serious note - we will have ride out of here in like ten minutes. We will hold the Grimm off, you get some rest." He said, starting to get up, but stopping when Yang caught his hand.

"Wait…"

He sighed.

"Yang, you are in no condition to fight…"

"That's not it. It's Ruby. She ran off earlier, trying to drag some of the bad guys away. " She chuckled. "Judging by fact that almost every Fang ran after her, she must have done a pretty good job at getting their attention."

Jaune cursed. That stupid, reckless…

"Where did she go?"

"She said she was going to head west."

He sighed. "Got it. You go back and catch your breath. I'll bring her back."

She nodded, and limping towards the group of civilians.

Jaune ran up to his team, quickly scanning their surroundings.

"Guys, we have problem. Ruby ran off to somewhere. Can you hold without me if I go to look for her?"

Nora grinned.

"Sure thing, Fearless Leader!"

"Should I go with you?" Pyrrha asked.

"No, Most Grimm will be drawn here because of civilians." He looked around and smirked. "But If you could give me a lift up there, I would be grateful." He said, pointing at the roof of a nearby building.

Pyrrha grinned, and put her shield above her head, dropping to one knee. Jaune got a running start, and jumped on it. He pumped his Aura into his legs, and aided by his partner shoving him up, he flew a few meters up, way higher than the roof he was aiming at, then slammed down on it He rolled, and came up desperately looking for something to catch on. Eventually, he just buried Crocea Mors into the roof and hufed. Not the most graceful landing, but it worked. He got up and looked around. Most of the houses were simple one-story buildings, so he should have an easy time traveling from roof to roof. This would let him avoid most Grimm, but the bigger problem was how he was supposed to find Ruby in this damn city.

He spent a moment considering his options. Running aimlessly around was a bad idea, he simply didn't have the time for it. Ask the Bullhead pilot to sweep around city? Too risky, not only because of the flying Grimm, but the White Fang could have some heavy weaponry too, enough to bring it down. He focused on his Semblance, trying to bring out his Aura vision. Judging by lack of any effect, the last Dusk must have worn off.

 _So, they don't last as long as the original recipe…_

He sighed, and picked an orange bottle from his belt. Drinking too high tier Elixirs in a single day was usually a bad idea, especially considering he was already low on Aura. He managed to recover a bit on his way here, but still it was risky.

Then again, he didn't really had any other options, did he?

He drank the slightly sweet, thick, and strangely cold liquid. He closed his eyes, activating his Semblance, forcing his Aura to neutralize multiple toxic components, and enhance those that he needed. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked around yet again. The city they were in was surrounded by a thin forest, trees and bushes giving off a soft white glow. The perfect background to track Grimm.

Not so much when it was people he was looking for. Sure, a person with an awakened Aura would shine brighter, with a distinctive color, but he didn't really know what 'color' Ruby was. Well, he could look for any signs of stronger Aura he supposed… There! A pale green, barely visible on background of white. Not really the color he would assign to Ruby, but there was something else that caught his attention.

Several black lines mixing with it. A color he'd only ever seen on Harrowed. His eyes narrowed. He'd never seen anything like that before… Was it some new kind of Harrowed? Should he go and investigate?

Could he afford to? Ruby was somewhere out there, and if Yang's condition was anything to go by, she was on her last leg. He was about to ignore this strange trace, but then he recalled something. A few weeks before, at the docks. His first encounter with the White Fang Knights. How Eclipse had acted out. As if he was near a Harrowed, even though the Faunus terrorists were definitely alive.

 _Well, It won't hurt to take a look. Not like I have any other leads._

He ran forward, jumping from roof to roof. As he got closer, he noticed other sources of Aura. They were weaker, no doubt people who didn't have it unlocked yet, but they were tainted by corruption too. Jaune scowled, drawing Eclipse. It might have been just his imagination, but he could swear the black blade seems more… alive. Almost as if it was eager to start its bloody work.

He jumped from the roof, rolled and sprinted the last few meters towards the alley where he could see Aura. The voices were more clear now, they were shouting and spitting profanities in clear agitation.

Jaune paused near the entrance, took a few deep breaths and carefully peeked inside.

There were five White Fang Knights in there. Just as he suspected, only one of them had their Aura unlocked, but he could clearly see traces of corruption in all of them. But it wasn't spreading, it seemed stable. Was it Master's work? Was this what he aimed at?

Jaune shook his head. That wasn't important now. What was important was the person they were focused on. Now that he was closer, he could see another source of Aura. It was weak, very weak, probably some civilian they caught. Jaune tensed. How should he go in? Just charge forward? Try to distract them first?

The loud roar of Bullhead engines made him smile. It looked like the first batch of civilians were out. Plus, the loud noise would mask his footsteps. It was perfect. He focused, slowly pushing Aura into his legs. His new technique wasn't perfect yet, it required very careful Aura manipulation least he hurt himself, and he had still had to figure out how to stop himself without slamming into a tree, wall, or whatever other obstacle was in the way. But this time it was different - colliding with any of the Knights was exactly what he wanted. Preferably with the tip of his sword. He only had a few second before the Bullhead flew away, but he was sure that…

All thoughts left his head when the man with greenish Aura leaned down and picked up the person they surrounded. He could barely see her, the Faunus' massive body concealing her smaller form from his view, but the red cape that fluttered on the wind was all he needed.

He didn't even register the moment when he tore the black bottle from his belt. He _slammed_ Aura into his legs, ignoring the searing pain, at the same time swallowing thick, bitter liquid. It burned his throat, as if he'd just swallowed liquid fire. But this sensation soon faded, leaving only numbness.

Colors and sounds merged in one chaotic mix, and for a moment that felt like an eternity, Jaune couldn't tell where he was, what he was doing, or even what _he_ was.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, the chaos ended. The world was devoid of all colors, expect for the bright lights of the Aura of the people in front of him, and of sounds, expect for the beating of his heart, and the low hum from Eclipse. Despite that, or maybe because of it, he could see with much more clarity now. Time itself seemed to slow down, stretched impossibly, allowing him to notice every detail, every movement.

That's why the moment when the Knight's blade broke Ruby's Aura, and went into her chest was burned into his mind. He could _hear_ it tearing through her clothes, her soft flesh, scraping against her bones. He could _smell_ the metallic scent of fresh blood.

Jaune grit his teeth, and _moved._ Pavement shattered under his foot, his bones barely avoiding the the same fate. The first Faunus head flew off his shoulders at the same time their captain's blade erupted from Ruby's back.

Jaune slammed into his body, halting his own momentum and throwing the corpse a good few meters ahead. Using the momentum form his first attack and sudden stop, he spun, bringing the black blade to bare on the second Faunus. It bit into his shoulder before he could register what was going on, and cleaved him cleanly in two. His blood splashed on Jaune's face, its warmth the first sensation he'd felt ever since Dusk took hold of his senses.

Jaune continued his spin, ignoring how his muscles cried in protest. He knew he was tearing them with every movement, that he should take some time to adjust to the flow of Aura in his body. That he probably shouldn't drink Dusk at all considering he was tired, and drank a few other Elixirs already.

But none of those things mattered now. All that mattered was the need to kill all the monsters that dared to hurt one of his friends.

The third Faunus managed to block Jaune's first strike, but the sheer power behind it left him unbalanced. He tried to dodge the follow up attack, raising his hands in a desperate attempt to stop the black blade from cleaving his head in two.

Eclipse easily cut through the soft flesh, but before it could reach his head, a strong blow to the side threw Jaune away. The blond boy scowled, and rolled with the blow, then jumped to his feet. The Fang's captain towered above him in his full plate mail, his Aura bright and angry. His mouth moved, but no words reached Jaune's ears.

He neither needed, nor wanted to hear him talk, so he simply turned them off.

The blond Witcher jumped to his feet and dashed forward.

 _Three targets, one without arms, one Aura user. Neutralize the weaker ones first, then focus on the big one._

He ducked under the Knight's sword, and again pushed Aura into his legs. His muscles screamed in pain, causing him to wince and stumble a little. He almost fell, but managed to propel himself forward in an awkward lunge. It wouldn't be enough to catch any Hunter level opponent off guard, but the White Fang soldier barely managed to put his guard up. The two of them collided, and struggled for a brief moment. Jaune focused Aura in his right leg, and then expelled it all at once.

His knee slammed into the Faunus' chest. The man bent over as air left his lungs, his ribs shattered. Jaune raised his sword, but instead of cutting down defenseless opponent he grabbed him by the hair, and spun around.

The captain's blade pierced his chest, casing the large man to pause in shock. Jaune pushed his not-so-living shield into shocked White Fang officer, and spared a quick glance at the last Faunus. He was kneeling, clutching his severed arm.

 _Guess I got only one arm after all…_

Jaune briefly considered rushing in and finishing him off, but discarded the idea. He was no threat, at least for now, and the captain was still distracted with body on his sword.

How could he pass on such a perfect opportunity?

He rounded on the bigger man, kicking him in the back of his knee. Unfortunately, he didn't budge, and it was Jaune who backed off when a sharp pain raced through his leg.

 _Well, I guess I broke something…_

That was to be expected. He was pushing himself too far and he knew it. But it didn't matter now. At the rate he was going, he would be out of Aura soon, and then he would succumb to the aftereffects of his Elixirs. He didn't had much time.

Ruby, if her shallow breathing was anything to go by, had even less.

So he focused and disabled his ability to feel pain. It would only distract him. He dashed in again, aiming for the gap between the captain's armor and helmet, but the large Faunus managed to free his sword and turned in time to parry Jaune's strike. He roared in fury and charge ahead, raining blow after blow down on the young Witcher. Jaune grit his teeth, trying to withstand the reckless barrage. It wasn't easy. The Faunus seemingly didn't care about his own safety, or simply trusted his Aura and armor to defend him. Slowly, but surely, Jaune started to give ground.

The blond grit his teeth when his wounded leg buckled under him. He needed to retreat, put some space between them to catch his breath and think of a plan. The Faunus was in a frenzy, just slashing recklessly. His sword was shorter than Eclipse, so as long as he played it carefully, he should be able to tire him out.

Ruby coughed weakly, and Jaune scowled. His friend was dying right in front of him, he was in middle of a Grimm infested city, and he was running low on Aura. Any moment now, his control over his semblance could slip, or he might get hit by a rebound, and then it would be over.

He didn't have time to do it safely.

 _Well, I guess it's time to go all out. Let's see who has better armor, shall we?_

Jaune roared and charged forward, slashing at the Faunus' head. He ignored it, and the thrust towards Jaune's chest. Both swords reached their targets at the same time, and both bounced off harmlessly. The both growled and struck again. And again. And again.

Each time, both blades bounced off armor. Jaune sighed. This wasn't working. He needed to change up his tactics. Jaune staggered, his wounded leg buckling under him. The Fang Knight noticed it, and immediately took advantage. A powerful overhand strike Jaune managed to parry, but it left him open for a kick to the chest. Jaune was thrown back and landed heavily, dropping Eclipse. The blond cursed, and made to pick it up, but the Fang captain was already upon him. He rolled and jumped to his feet, drawing Crocea Mors. The Fang commander walked up to him slowly, his blade resting on his shoulder. If this posture was not enough, the way his Aura flow changed told Jaune he was much more relaxed now.

The blond could understand it. He was exhausted, wounded, and had lost the reach advantage. His opponent was certain he was winning.

Good.

The Faunus charged and slashed at Jaune's head. The blond ducked under the blow, parried the next one, and kicked the Faunus' knee. It wasn't a strong attack, but enough to stagger him for a second - enough for Jaune to make an attack of his own.

He focused as much Aura as he could into his arms. He could feel his muscles and tendons tearing, but he ignored the pain and brought his weapon down on the Faunus' head. Just like every time before, the Fang Knight didn't even try to parry it, trusting his armor and Aura to protect him. Aftrall, even with a longer, heavier blade he couldn't cut through it, so why should he be afraid of this smaller sword?

Crocea Mors reached its target, but it wasn't the blade that impacted the Knight's helmet, but rather its crossguard. Jaune could feel the force of blow reverberating in his arm, and something cracking in his right one. But at the same time he could feel the metal of the Fang soldier's helmet giving way. He let out a short gasp and fell.

He didn't move again.

Jaune spat on the unmoving body.

"And that's how you use a sword against an armored opponent."

He shook his head. He never thought he will be using murderstroke against anything else other than a heavily armored Grimm.

He felt the impact roughly at the same time as a loud 'bang' reached his ears. The sound repeated three more times, but he only felt one more impact, this time on his shoulder. It took Jaune a moment to realize he was being shot at. He staggered, and fell to one knee. Turning around, he saw the last Faunus, the one who'd lost a hand, struggling to reload his gun.

 _Can I reach him before he finishes?_

By the looks of it, he could. Reloading one-handed wasn't that easy, and the fact he was bleeding out didn't help. Even with his right leg not working properly, he should be able to reach him before the man finished reloading, especially if he disregarded safety and used his Aura slide again. But the Faunus was a good twenty meters away, and there was someone else who needed all of Jaune's attention yesterday. Could he afford to stagger to the bleeding out Faunus, and then stagger back to Ruby?

No.

But he couldn't ignore the shooter either. What were his options? He did have a gun himself. He could search the downed captain, but he wasn't sure if the man was really out, or just pretending. If he was caught, it would be bad.

So, the only other solution was to throw something. Even something as simple as rock, or a piece of payvment would be enough. The blond looked around for any suitable projectile, but couldn't' find anything. Then his eyes fell on Crocea Mors, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

Throwing a sword was a bad idea in just about any situation. But Leon once showed him a neat little trick for situations like this.

Well, it was intended more as a surprise attack, a way to distract your opponent so that you can get a good hit in. But when Aura came into the equation, everything could become a lethal weapon.

Jaune revised the grip on his sword and staggered to his feet. The Fang soldier doubled his efforts to put a fresh magazine into his gun. Jaune took two shaky steps forward.

The Faunus cursed when the magazine fell from his hand.

Jaune drew his hand back, focused as much Aura as he dared, and threw it with all his might.

The Faunus finally managed to reload his gun, and stood up with a vicious grin.

The unscrewed pommel hit him in the forehead, cracking his skull and killing him on the spot.

Jaune stared at dead Faunus for few moments, his lips slowly twisting into small smirk.

 _Well… I wouldn't call it a 'rightly' way to finish duel… but it was oddly satisfying._

He sighed, and and turned around, only to see the Fang capitan staggering to his feet.

 _Oh, for fuck sake! Can't you guys just die!?_

The Faunus rose, staggered, then tore his cracked Helmet off, revealing blond hair and green eyes that were now locked on Jaune. His lips peeled back in a vicious grimace, and he charged at the blond. Jaune cursed, and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the larger man. He either went insane, or decided crushing blond with his bare hands would be more effective than trying to cut him with his sword.

Jaune cursed. His whole body was sore, his arms felt heavy, and he could barely move. If this turned into a grappling match, he was done for. He needed to do something, and do it fast. A quick glance at Ruby revealed that her Aura, what little was left of it, condensed around the wound in her chest. But there was too little of it to heal it, or even stop the bleeding.

She didn't have much time left.

He focused back on his opponent, who charged at him again. Jaune sidestepped his charge, and tried to slash at his head. But his attack was slow, too slow. The Fang captain caught Crocea Mors by the blade, and punched Jaune in the gut. The force behind this attack was enough to lift him off the ground and throw him a few meters back. He landed heavily, and cursed. Even though the HIDE armor absorbed most of the impact, it still hurt more than any attack his opponent had delivered so far. Did he get stronger?

Or was it Jaune who had gotten weaker?

The blond grit his teeth, and got to his feet, glaring at the Faunus. He was staring at the sword he still held by the blade, seemingly lost in thought. Jaune took the chance to look around. He absolutely couldn't let this man get a hold of him. In his current state, he had no chance of winning if that happened.

Jaune's eyes fell on Eclipse, only a few meters away from him. Could he make it to it in time?

He looked back at the Fang Knight. He was now staring at Jaune. He glanced sideways, to where Eclipse laid on the ground, and grinned.

They both moved at the same time. Jaune disregarding all safety pushed Aura to his right leg and kicked off. He could feel his damaged bones breaking, his muscles tearing apart, but he managed to propel himself forward. It was more of a clumsy jump than a slide, but he landed near his black sword. He grinned as he grabbed it and turned around, ready to face the Fang Knight.

His smile fell when he saw the Faunus only a few steps away. All Jaune managed to do was raise his sword in front of his chest before the larger man tackled him to the ground. For a few moments they struggled, the Fauuns trying to pry Eclipse from Jaune's hand, while the blond Witcher tried to hit him in some weak spot. Eventually, the Faunus just ignored the sword, and wrapped his hands around Jaune's throat. So close, and in such bad position, the only thing the blond could do was to press the blade against the man's neck, and push, hoping to break the Faunus' Aura before he gots choked to death.

He scowled. His right arm was weak, very weak. This, coupled with his awkward position, prevented him from putting any significant strength into his sword. Jaune cursed. He could see the Faunus' Aura straining under the edge of Eclipse. A green, pulsating light, fighting to keep the black blade surrounded by white light away from soft flesh. He could see it cracking and reforming, and he knew given some time he could break through it.

The problem was that he didn't have time.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest in a fanatical rhythm. He could feel Eclipse pulastting violently, as if it was screaming at him to do something. He could feel his own Aura pulsating in a rhythm that he knew so well.

He could also feel the Faunus' Aura pulsating in its own rhythm, fighting against his own. He needed to break it, destroy it, overpower it.

Eclipse's humming grew louder, angrier. It wasn't asking anymore, it was _demanding_. What? He wasn't sure. He pushed harder, trying to break through the Faunus' Aura, but the harder he pushed, the louder Eclipse hummed. This sound, the pain he was starting to feel all over his body, the hands that were squeezing his throat him, it was too much. His vision swam, he felt as if he was on fire, and Eclipse was vibrating so hard he could barely hold it. He needed to hurry up. He needed to end this. He needed… to...

Something cracked, shattered, and his vision blurred.

* * *

He was sitting under a massive oak tree. The lone monument in a sea of green. Besides a small river nearby, and misty mountains to the north, the only thing he could see was grassy fields.

"Water?" His younger self asked.

"Yeah." Leon answered.

Young Jaune scratched his head.

"Shouldn't it be earth?"

Leon shook his head.

"No. Earth is steady, unyielding. It usually won't come at you, rather it will let you come. It will make you feel like you are winning, like you need to push just a little bit more. And then, when you are exhausted, it will crush you."

Jaune hummed. No matter how he thought about it, it sounded just like his prefered fighting style.

"I'm fire." Leon continued, nodding to himself. "I prefer to go at you. To overpower you, to force you to play my game and my rules. Too fast, too strong for you. And then, when you stumble because you can't keep up, I'll consume you."

Jaune nodded. Yes, that sounded like his teacher.

"You, however, are water. You think you are earth, because you often act like that, but sometimes, especially when you are pushed to the edge, you act more like fire. Do you know why?"

Jaune shook his head. Leon grinned.

"It's because water is like a middle ground between fire and earth. It's more solid than the former, and more flexible than the latter. Earth will stand firm, unchanging no matter the odds. Fire will try to consume the adversary, no matter what. But water?" He shook his head. " It can be both shaped by others, and shape others itself." He hummed " Look at this river. It looks like it's controlled by earth, shaped by it. And that's true, but at the same time, it is shaping the earth around it. You may be able to control water, but it will also control you. Give it enough time, and it will erode any mountain. Or it can come in suddenly, as a crushing wave that will destroy everything in its path, just as fire would do. Do you understand now? Where earth will stand unyielding, trying to withstand any assault, and fire will attack fiercely, water will change. Adapt."

The older man poked his student in the forehead.

"And that's exactly what you are doing. You adapt. You take whatever you have, and make use of it. Change it, shape it so that it will suit your needs. And your Semblance reflects it. It doesn't have any obvius application, and appears very simple, but that also makes it very flexible." He smiled and got up, stretching. "Sometime you try too hard to become earth. Don't. It doesn't suit you. If you stop adapting, if you become satisfied with what you have, you will become like a stale lake. One that is slowly overgrown until it disappears. Don't do it. Be like the river. Always changing, always adapting to its surroundings, but also adapting its surroundings to itself."

Jaune hummed, considering his teacher's words. Now that he thought about it, Leon was right. The blond boy smiled. It was to be expected really. The older man was always right. There was only one more thing that he wanted to know.

"Wait, then what about air?"

Leon looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You talked about earth, water, and fire. What about air?"

Leon shrugged.

"No idea. I was coming up with all this stuff while we were talking."

Jaune stared at older man for a few seconds, then snorted. Yeah, this was a very Leon thing to do. And say. Well, whether it was something he come up on the spot or not, this didn't make his words any less true.

The blond boy leaned back, closing his eyes, and hummed.

 _Shape…_

* * *

… _and be shaped. Adapt._

Jaune's eyes snapped open. How long did this vision alsted? How long he was out?

Judging by the fact he was still lying on the stone pavement, pressing his sword against the neck of the crazed Faunus,, that was trying to choke him to death, probably not for long. But it was enough. He knew what he needed to do.

He was falling into old habits again. Acting like he was Earth all the time. Becoming steady, grounded… stale. Only when pushed to the edge, he would push back. Strongly, fiercely… recklessly. But that wasn't him. He needed to change.

No, that wasn't quite right. What he needed was something else,

Balance.

Defend when he needed to defend. Attack when an opening showed.

Pick any path that would lead him to his goal. Take control of it, shape it the way he wanted, like a river slowly eroding rock, and then strike down with the power of a crushing wave.

And if there was no path to victory?

He grinned, focusing on the Aura flowing into his blade. On it's slow, steady, simple rhythm. Then, he focused on his enemy's Aura. It was erratic, angry, but it had a rhythm of its own. The two powers clashed, each trying overpower the other. His was winning, but it was slow, too slow.

So he needed to adapt.

Become part of the landscape, merge with it. Allow it to change him.

 _Be shaped by it._

He forced his Aura to change its rhythm, to beat faster, stronger. To match his opponents.

The Faunus looked surprised when the soft, white glow surrounding dark blade of Eclipse started to change color to a green one, similar to his own. It turned into shock when his own Aura started flowing into the black sword.

Jaune gasped when the green glow reached his hand. He could _feel_ the Faunus in way that was hard to explain. His Aura, his presence, his _essence,_ it threatened to overwhelm him.

 _And shape it in turn._

Jaune focused on the power flowing through his blade. He forced it to slow down, into a slower, clamer rhythm. Colors shifted again, Green fading, turning into White. The blond boy grinned, and _pulled,_ dragging his opponents Aura out of his body. But it was fighting back, resisting. He tried to pull harder, but it didn't' work.

Jaune squashed his frustration. This wasn't working, so he needed to adapt.

Instead of pulling, he _pushed_. The same force that was fighting to prevent him taking the Knight's Aura, now dragged his own into his opponent. Both of them gasped when White connected with Green. A wave of emotions washed over him, a sensation similar to, but much stronger and clearer than before. In this instant, he really, truly understood the man he was fighting with. All his motivations, all he dreams and hopes.

It was hatred. Burning, overwhelming hatred for humans. The man himself didn't seem to know why he was hated humans so much, but also didn't care. All that he wanted was to kill them, torture them, see them suffer, because this was only thing that gave him excitement, that allowed him to feel the joy that filled, for however short a moment, the dark, endless pit of nothingness that was his everyday life.

It was only when he could make others suffer, that he was truly alive. He didn't know why. Neither did he care. All he wanted was to feel this rush when some filthy human was brought to the brink of breaking down, just before moment where they stopped fearing death.

Jaune sighed, and looked man in the eyes. He knew he just went through the same, that he learned everything about Jaune Arc. At that moment, this person knew him better than anyone else.

That also meant he knew what will happen next.

Jaune smiled at him.

"Thank you…"

He said, as Green and White mixed again, for brief, very brief moment, becoming one. It was just an instant, but it was enough for Eclipse to pass unhindered and press into soft flesh, draining a bit of blood. The White Fang Knight tried to jerk his head away, but it was too late. The black blade ripped through skin, muscles, and bone, separating his head form rest of the body.

"...for your contribution."

Warm blood splashed over a still smiling Jaune, even as he focused, and _pulled_ again. This time there was no resistance, and he tore Green Aura out of the dying body. It swirled around Eclipse, glowing like lighthouse, Green, and Black strains that marked it, slowly fading until only White reamined.

And then it _crashed_ into him, filling him with power. It was overwhelming. Like the first drink after weeks spent in the desert, or first breath after nearly drowning. It was the pain of multiple wounds after surviving impossible encounter, and living to tell the tale. It was the thrill of defeating a superior opponent. It was first kiss. It was sweetest wine.

It was intoxicating.

Jaune slowly got to his feet, his eyes scanning his surroundings hungrily. Did any of the Faunus was still live? A quick look confirmed that no, they were all dead, but he could _smell_ the sweet, sweet scent of Aura nearby. Much better than what he'd just eaten. His gaze snapped to the motionless figure in the red cloak. Ruby was done for, her wounds too serious. She would die soon, and all this wonderful power in her will go to waste. Wouldn't it be better if he took it?

Of course it would. She probably would want it too! It would help him out, and she loved helping people. Seriously, he would be doing her a favor. She was so naive that she had no chance to achieve anything as Huntress. But with him taking her power, she will be of some use!

And he would make sure to give her credit for any of the great things he would achieve from now on. Afterall, they will be doing this together. As the best friends that they were. Sure, it would be a shame that she would die, but at this point there was little he could do.

And besides…

His face twisted in a fierce scowl.

All humans deserve to die. This one especially, what with all the humiliation she brought upon him and his brothers. She should be happy, since he would give her the opportunity to be useful even in death. A shame she was too far gone to really appreciate what was going to happen, but one couldn't have everything. Well, he could take it out on that sister of hers.

He stalked towards his prey, his grip on Eclipse tightening. Yes, this was the only way. He wondered what her Aura would taste like. The last one was bitter. It wasn't that bad, but the corruption spoiled the taste. But Ruby? With how… _pure_ she was? He just knew it would be sweet.

He stopped, staring down at the dying girl. It would be over quickly, she wouldn't feel a thing, he would make sure of it. He owed her that much. Jaune smiled.

And then punched himself. The pain helped to clear his head a bit. This annoying little voice in the back of his head, the one that demanded they drag Ruby's body back to the evac zone and mutilate it in front of the people there, just so he can bask in their terror was gone, but he still could feel the strange hunger.

So he punched himself again. The pain was stronger now, and surprisingly most of this come from his hand.

 _Probably snapped my wrist…_

He thought, kneeling next to his friend.

 _What the hell was… is that? I've never felt anything like that before._

These violent thoughts, it was the rebound from absorbing the Faunus' Aura. It wasn't dissimilar to what sometime happened when he killed a Wraith, just a bit stronger.

But this hunger, this desire to consume more Aura?

That was all him.

He needed to talk about it with Leon or Port after he got back to Beacon. He could still feel it, just beneath surface, waiting to take hold of him again.

And for some reason, he doubted he would be able to get rid of it completely, but that was a problem for later. Now he had something else to worry about. Ruby was dying. Her wound was serious, very much so. In fact, it was a miracle she was still breathing - as shallow as it was. What could he do?

He could try and stop the bleeding, but the wound was too big to bandage it over, it would need stitching. And even then, it wouldn't do anything for all the internal damage she suffered.

Carry her to the evac zone? No, even if he found the medic there, what Ruby needed was a proper hospital, and surgery. Not that she would survive long enough for him to carry her there, let alone the trip to Vale.

Elixirs? A healing enhancer might not be enough to heal her completely, but it would at least stabilize her enough to survive until they could get her to a hospital. But for it to work, she needed to have enough Aura left in her, which she didn't.

Jaune strained his mind, trying to think about anything he could do, and come up empty. Nothing. Nothing he had, nothing he knew could help. Ruby would die.

His expression hardened. If there was no way for him to save her…

Then he just had to make one. He was Water. He would adapt.

He placed one hand on the wound in Ruby chest. His head was spinning, and he could feel pain racing through his body. Together with the hunger, this strange rush of energy he felt was gone too, leaving him exhausted and panting.

But the Aura he absorbed - it was still there. He could feel it running through his body. If he had Aura, he could still use his Semblance. And that meant there might be a way. He never tried to use it on another person. Hell, he didn't even know if he could - or how it might work. From all he knew, it shouldn't be possible to transfer Aura between two people.

Except, he'd done it just a few moments ago. He didn't know if this was a property of black swords, his Semblance, or a combination of both. He glanced at Eclipse, lying on the ground next to him. The blade was silent now. It felt… satisfied. But he still could feel this hunger deep inside him. No, he wouldn't risk it.

Instead, he focused on his Aura, and pushed it into his hands. He could feel it glowing, swirling, waiting. Now what? Did he just push it out? No, it would just explode. He needed to do it gently.

His Aura vision was fading, a clear sign that he was running out of time. He needed to hurry.

Jaune focused on his friend, trying to feel the rhythm of her Aura. It was there, but it was weak, very weak, almost completely drowned by soft hum of his own power. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled the Aura out of his hand, leaving only a little bit.

He smiled - now he could hear Ruby more cleary. Slowly, carefully, he adjusted his rhythm. The moment they matched, the link formed, and his own Aura started flowing into Ruby. Slowly at first, but as her reserves increased, it sped up, and as his own reserves diminished. He could feel the after effects of all the Elixirs he drank coming back to hit him. The headache came first. Then nausea. His heart was beating irregularly, speeding up, then suddenly slowing down, almost stopping. Jaune fought to remain conscious, even as waves of cold, and intense heat washed over him. He couldn't stop. It was working, he could see the wound in Ruby chest closing, he could _feel_ her damaged lungs being repaired.

He pulled the bottle of healing enhancer from his belt. His last one. He uncorked it with his teeth, and poured the contents into Ruby's mouth. Normally, he would think twice before giving someone in her condition one of his standard Elixirs, but now was different. Their Aura was connected. He could work with it.

He smiled when the healing sped up, even as his body began to shake violently. It was harder and harder to remain conscious, but he knew he had to continue. Ruby wasn't out of danger yet. He just needed a little more time.

He breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times, her eyes slightly widening when she recognized him.

"Jaune…" she whispered, so low that he barely heard her. He just shook his head.

"We will talk later. Now stay still and don't move. I have no idea what I'm doing, but it seems to be helping."

She nodded weakly, and smiled at him.

He managed to weakly smile back. It fell quickly however when he heard heavy footsteps from behind.

And heard a low panting. He knew that sound. He knew it oh so well. He didn't even had to turn to know there were two, mo, three Ursa walking into the alley. One of them was a Major, judging by the sound.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked weakly. She was still half conscious, and his body was blocking her view of the alley entrance, so she couldn't have noticed the approaching Grimm. Whether it was his expression, or she could feel something through their link, he didn't know. What he did know was that he needed to act fast.

 _Ok, first things first. Can I break the link?_

Yes, he could. He did so for a moment, just to make sure. Judging by her condition, Ruby was out of immediate danger. Still not safe, but she wouldn't die on him if he stopped transferring his Aura into her.

 _Good. So, can I kill those Grimm, and then drag us both to evac zone? With possibly more fighting along the way?_

He focused on his own body, trying to get an idea of amount of damage he'd take. His right leg was busted, several bones cracked or broken, muscles and tendons torn up. His left one wasn't much better, but it should still be able to hold his weight.

His right arm was in bad shape, his wrist snapped, the bones in his forearm badly cracked, and damaged a elbow. He probably wouldn't use it anymore.

And there was the problem of the immediate rebound. He was already in bad shape, barely staying conscious, his vision so blurry he could barely see Ruby's face, he could barely hear anything because of the ringing in his ears.

Jaune sighed. No. He was in no condition to fight. He couldn't help but chuckle.

 _Come to think about it… it's the second time I'm about to get killed by Grimm while trying to save a little girl._

He wasn't sure if this was common for Hunters or not. Back then, it was him and Sam. He was beaten up and exhausted too. Back then Leon showed up, and saved both of them.

He doubted it would happen again.

He focused back on Ruby. Ironically enough, she was now in better condition than he was. Just a few more moments, and she should be good enough to walk, maybe even run. With her Semblance, she should be able to reach evac zone without much trouble.

"Jaune… what's going on?"

He sighed and looked her in the eyes. He could see a hint of worry in them. He managed to send her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Everything is fine. Just relax." She didn't believe him, he could feel it. She struggled weakly, trying to get up, but still too weak for it. So instead she tried to look past him towards the end of alley. Jaune sighed. Heavy footsteps were much closer now. He didn't have much time.

"Ruby, I need you to listen to me. I'm going do push all the Aura I have left into you. If it works how I think it works, it will make you as if you are overflowing with energy. You will stop feeling pain, and exhaustion, but it will last only a few moments. So I want you to run to the evac zone as fast as you can, because after rush the ends, you will most probably collapse. Do you understand?"

He could see fear settling in her eyes.

"Jaune, what are you talking a…" She stopped with a gasp when something large stopped behind him.

"Jaune!" She cried out.

He smiled at her.

"Remember what I said. Just run."

The Grimm behind him roared.

Jaune focused and pushed all Aura he had left into Ruby's body. He saw her eyes widen in shock.

And then everything turned white, and his consciousness faded.

* * *

 **Well, what can I say? Another chapter a week too late. I could say that it is hard to write this chapter, that I struggled to get various scenes right. Jaune fight against White Fang, him trying to figure out how to save Ruby, and even before that he struggle to accept decision he made.**

 **It would all be true. But real reason is that I got lazy. If I focused on writing more, I could probably get this chapter done in time. But I allowed myself to get sidetracked by few games, and this is the result.**

 **I promise I'll do my best to not let this happen again.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	47. The Paths We Take

**Welcome to Ch 46 of TPA**

* * *

The first thing Jaune become aware of was a complete lack of pain. There was no splitting headache, no burning sensation of broken bones and torn muscles, no nausea, no mind-numbing exhaustion caused by continuous physical activity and lack of Aura. Instead, he felt… comfortable. He was lying on something that was soft, firm, and warm at the same time. He felt at peace, like nothing could ever harm him.

This was bad. Very, very bad.

Considering the state he was in when he pushed the last bits of his Aura into Ruby, and _where_ they were, there were only two explanations for this phenomenon that he could think of.

Either he was dead, or all, or at least most of the events of today had just a dream.

He sighed, noting how… strange it felt. Like he didn't quite have lungs to do it, but his mind was desperately trying to convince him he'd done it anyway. Jaune slowly opened his eyes, meeting pair of green ones framed by red hair.

"Hi, Sam." He said smiling. His friend huffed.

"That's all you have to say? After all of this?" She shook her head. "Honestly, I would appreciate it if you stopped dragging me into your dreams whenever you need someone to bring you back from the brink of death."

He grinned at her.

"Oh, don't be like that. We both know you enjoy it."

"Oh? And what made you come to that conclusion?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe fact you're giving me a lap pillow?"

To his surprise, Sam didn't blush, or stammer some sort of denial, only to finally jump to her feet and exert unreasonable amounts of violence on his poor persona.

Instead, she watched him for a moment, then smirked. It caused a strange shiver to run down his spine.

"Funny you mention it. I would like to point out we are currently in _your_ dream. So everything that is happening is a product of _your_ imagination. So…" she grinned devilishly. "It means that it is _your_ dream to receive a lap pillow from me." She finished triumphantly.

Jaune tsked, getting up. She had him there.

"Ok, all jokes aside. I have a feeling this has happened before, but I still need to ask." He looked around the empty, white space they were in. "Am I dead?"

She sighed, shaking her head.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm just a product of your imagination."

Jaune let out a heavy sigh. Why couldn't anything be simple? He got up to his feet and stretched. This was the same place… space… _thing,_ he'd seen every time those visions appeared. Come to think about it… when did they start again? It had something to do with Eclipse, but he couldn't quite… ah, that's right.

The Awakening.

Eclipse had been behaving strangely, ever since the fight at the docks. Leon said something about finding his balance, and after discussing it with Ren, Jaune decided to try meditation.

Neither of them had expected results so quickly.

The blond sighed again, recalling the last moments of his fight against the White Fang.

 _Water, huh?_

"Quite a dirty one, but I suppose it suits you… in a very weird way."

Jaune blinked surprised and looked at the still sitting Sam.

"I said that out loud?"

She rolled her eyes.

"This is your mind. Everything here is made out of your thoughts and memories."

He stared at her for a few seconds.

"Then… what exactly are you?"

Sam groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"Like I _just_ said - a product of your overactive imagination. I'm not the 'Samantha Birger' that you know. I'm just some fragment of your consciousness that took her form. Probably the part that is responsible for your logical thinking, however small it might be. And before you ask." She said, raising a single finger. "No, I don't know what happened to you because, like I mentioned _multiple times already,_ I'm just part of your mind. I know only things you know yourself."

Jaune shut his mouth and pouted.

"So… I'm basically talking with myself?"

"More like getting lectured, but yes, that's the gist of it."

The blond groaned. Great. He was going crazy now. Though maybe it started sooner, when he started seeing the visions. Well, not that it mattered now. He was presumably dead, or at least dying, in hostile territory, with angry Grimm behind his back, and no Aura. Even if he woke up now, as he did back in Spring Valley, he probably wouldn't even have the strength to move a single finger.

He just hoped Ruby managed to get away.

The blond couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle. Look at him, acting like a fucking hero. Rushing off in anger, and giving up the last of his strength to give someone else a very, very slim chance of survival. Why the hell did he do it? It wasn't the first time he had to leave someone to die because trying to help them would just add to the casualties. Sure, it sucked when it happened, but it was necessary.

No casualties was the ideal outcome, but one that that could rarely be achieved. Most of the time, the best one could hope was to minimize them. And to do so, he had to stay alive, because he couldn't do anything as a corpse.

So why did he decide to come back? Why did he ran off, on his own, to find Ruby? He knew she was probably being chased by the White Fang, and if Yang's condition was anything to go by, in no shape to fight. He knew there were tons of Grimm nearby, that he could get surrounded at any moment.

But, like a damn idiot, he decided to rush off after her.

And the worst part? He didn't regret it. Even now, in what almost certainly were his last moments, just recalling the moment Ruby opened her eyes, when her wound started closing, was enough to bring a satisfied smile to his face. Why?

"Maybe because she wasn't just 'someone'. She was your friend."

Jaune sighed. He knew it was true, but he still felt conflicted. As a Professional, he should always be able to make logical choices. Doing something as crazy and stupid as this just because someone he knew was involved?

Leon would be so disappointed.

"Would he?"

Well, of course he would. Consider all those times he told him to not throw away his life like an idiot…

"But did he ever say that you should abandon your friends?"

Well… Jaune blinked, and suddenly he was standing in a run down village somewhere in Vacuo. His younger self stood next to Leon, who was handing a package to a middle aged man. He remembered it quite well. Not because it was particularly important, or exciting. No, if Jaune would have to describe it in one word, it would be 'mundane'. The reason he remembered it was because Leon resigned from another job just to take this one. One that was shorter, didn't require them to travel three weeks in the scorching sun of Vacuo's desert, and paid much, much better.

And all it took was one request from some elderly lady that neither he, or Leon, had ever seen before. When he asked about his reasons, Leon just stared at Jaune for a few moments, with a complicated expression.

" _I didn't do it for them." he said eventually. "I did it for myself. To assure myself that I'm still human."_

Jaune never quite understood what his teacher meant back then.

"Do you understand now?"

The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Oh? The let's hear it."

"Throwing your life away for some great cause is dumb. You might be remembered as a hero, but you will be leaving people who truly cared about you in pain. You should always think things through, and pick a path that has the biggest chance for survival. But you can't kill your emotions completely, it's what makes us human. So even if it's dumb, suicidal, or even if chances of success are close to zero, you shouldn't abandon your friends." His eyes hardened.

" _I_ will not abandon my friends and my family. I'll cling to my life with all my might for them. But if they are in danger, I'll put it on the line. I'll sacrifice anything and anyone, as long as it means we can have a happy ending."

Sam smiled at him.

"Not a very heroic line of thought."

Jaune smirked.

"Good. I'm… _We're_ not a hero after all."

"I guess we aren't. But does that mean you would put your, or your friends life above a mission? Not very professional either, if you ask me."

Jaune shrugged.

"Then I guess we're not professional."

"Then who we are?" Asked Sam again, her voice distant, her form slowly disappearing in motes of light.

"Just us. Jaune Arc. Witcher. Student of Beacon Academy. Leader of team JNPR. All of that and so much more. Why would we stick to one definition? All of it can change." He smiled. "We are like flowing water afterall. One can't enter the same river twice."

Sam smiled at him one last time before disappearing completely.

 _Just one more thing to do, huh?_

Jaune slowly turned around to the monstrosity sitting silently behind him. Now that he took a good look at it, it was much bigger than the first time. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to it and paused just a few centimeters before it. He still felt disgust when looking at it. Still wanted to kick it, to trample it, to bury it so deep that no one would ever find it.

But it just wasn't possible, was it?

It was part of him, after all.

Jaune closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he reached out and placed his hand on the monster that lived inside of him.

Wave of emotions and memories hit him like hammer. Pain, anger, fear. All those times when he hurt another not because he had to, but because he wanted to. All those times he got hurt so much that all he wanted to do was to just curl up in a ball and never get up again. All those times when he panicked, made mistakes, and ran away or gave up. All those situations he was ashamed off, all those terrible things he'd experienced - or done - that he wanted to forget. All those things he didn't want to remember - but they were part of him too, weren't they?

He couldn't just get rid of them, and still be the same person. And even though he had so many regrets - in the end, he liked the person he'd become.

Jaune Arc smiled, for the first time in a long time, completely at ease.

 _This is who I am. Not a Hero. Not a good guy that will run around, helping everyone, but definitely not a villain, who will abandon friends to their fate. I'm just… me._

He opened his eyes. The monstrosity in front of him was almost completely gone, disappearing in black smoke. It swirled around him, slowly sinking into him.

Jaune sighed.

"Alright, looks like the metaphysical bullshit is over." He rolled his shoulders and smiled bitterly. "I guess it's time to wake up, and get back to work."

His vision blurred, and slowly turned black.

* * *

Jaune's eyes snapped open. Everything was blurry, the only thing he could hear was a loud rumbling, his whole body felt numb. Despite this, he tried his best to get up, or roll, or do anything to face the Grimm he knew was behind him. Something pressed on his chest, and the rhythm of the rumbling change a little. He had no idea what was going on, only that he apparently was lying on his back. Did the Ursa knock him around while he was unconscious? Probably, that would explain why he was still alive. He tried his best to get up, but he felt so weak, his body just didn't move.

The pressure on his chest increased, and Jaune started to panic. Would he get squashed? His HIDE armor would protect him to some extent, but could it withstand the full weight of an Ursa pressing down on him? Well, it might be able to, but his body - not so much. HE needed to move to do something, least he die like…

It took him a moment to realize the pressure wasn't strong enough to hurt him, that it hadn't increased, and whatever was pressing on him was much smaller than an Ursa's paw. Despite his instincts screaming at him to move, he relaxed, and at the same time the pressure lessened.

He looked around, trying to get some idea of what was going on. His vision was still blurry, all he could see were some vague blombs. He couldn't hear clearly either, and he felt so tired. Without even knowing when, he fell back asleep.

* * *

Jaune woke up with a gasp. He tried to get up, but couldn't. He forced himself to remain calm, and started analyzing the situation. He still couldn't make out any of the details of his surrounding, but this time it was because it was dark. His head hurt like hell, but his body felt strangely numb. The sensation that was strangely familiar, and it took him a few moments to realize it was the effect of strong painkillers.

 _So, I'm in hospital._

He let out a tired sigh. So, it looked like someone dragged him out of that mess. Was it Ruby? It would be really embarrassing if he'd gotten saved by the person he went to save. He looked around again, now that his eyes were accustomed to the darkness, he could make out some details. He was in a small room with three other beds. It didn't look like there were any other patients in there. He could hear the rhythmic beeping of a medicinal aperture to his right. He tried to move again, but to no anvil. After a moment, he realized he was bound by leather straps, securing him firmly in place.

The beeping got louder, in response to his heartbeat speeding up.

 _Ok, calm down. Analyze the situation calmly. I'm in a hospital, alone in a three-person room, and bound to my bed. What are the possible explanations._

There were two he could think of.

One - he was captured by the White Fang, dragged to one of their bases, and was about to be used in one of Master's experiments.

Jaune winced.

It sounded ridiculous, like something from a poorly written novel, but unfortunately not as unlikely as he would like it to be.

The second option was that he was thrashing while unconscious, and he was bound in order not harm himself.

Jaune sighed. He really hoped this was the case. The fact that the leather belts were not fastened too strong, only enough to keep him in place, led credence to the second theory.

The blond smiled tiredly. Of course there was always a third option - he was dead, and this was the afterlife. He chuckled, closing his eyes. It didn't matter now, not like he could do anything anyway. He would just go back to sleep, and try to figure things out in the morning.

If he woke up at all, that is.

* * *

What woke Jaune up was a very familiar sensation. It raced through his body, assuring him that no, what happened was not a dream, and yes, he was still alive.

 _Hello Pain, my old friend…_

Jaune groaned, and slowly opened his eyes, and almost instantly closed them again when a bright light assaulted them.

"Hey, kiddo."

Jaune smiled tiredly.

"Hey, Leon."

A few seconds passed in silence. When it became clear that the usual explanation wasn't coming, Jaune slowly opened his eyes and looked at his mentor. Leon was watching him back intensely.

"So…" the blond began, "what happened?"

Leon remained silent for a few moments, then sighed.

"I was hoping you'd tell me. I wasn't there, but I heard some strange things from the people that brought you back to Vale."

"Strange? Like what?"

"That a massive horde of Grimm congregated on the city. That transports ships sent there to get the last survivors out were turning back, because there was no way they could get close enough. That there was a sudden burst of white light, and when it faded, all the Grimm were gone. They found you unconscious, collapsed atop that scythe-girl… Ruby I think. She's fine. Was unconscious too, but all things considered, in far better shape than you." He added, seeing his student's worried expression.

Jaune stared at his teacher for a few moments, then slowly shook his head.

"You said that all the Grimm were gone?"

Leon nodded.

"Yeah. The whole city and its surroundings were cleared out. One moment the Grimm are crawling all around the place, the next, there's a brilliant white light, and when it fades, an area almost half a kilometer in diameter is cleared out."

Jaune whistled, impressed. Whoever did that, they had some serious bullshit of a Semblance.

"Well, all I can say is that it was a solid job, but not my doing. The last thing I remember is passing out, with no Aura, and a hungry Ursa a few steps behind me."

Leon chuckled.

"Heh, you always had thing for Ursa." He watched his student for a few moments, his expression becoming serious again. "There were five corpses there. Fang…"

"Oh, those were definitely my doing." Jaune admitted easily.

"You killed them with Eclipse?"

Jaune just nodded.

"It was acting out, and I could see traces of corruption in their bodies. It was different than what happens to us. It was like they were partially Harrowed themselves."

Leon looked surprised for a moment, then scowled.

"Master's work?"

"Almost certainly. Or at least I hope so - we definitely don't need any more lunatics like him."

Leon nodded in agreement, then returned to silently watching his student.

"You took Aura out of one of them." He said finally. It wasn't a question.

Jaune nodded anyway.

"Their leader. He was the only one with awakened Aura. I was in bad shape, he pinned me down and was choking me out. Not sure what exactly I did, but I managed to… well, the best way I can describe it is that I somehow synchronized our Auras? So, his stopped recognizing mine as an outside force? So, when I pressed Eclipse to his neck, the Aura I used to keep the blade together kinda merged with his own, and for a brief moment it stopped resisting my blade. So, I cut off his head, and his Aura kind of came out of his body… and I… ate it?" He finished rubbing the back of his head

Leon blinked in surprise.

"Wait, you did what?"

Jaune stared at him.

"Wait, is that not something everyone can do?"

Leon groaned.

"Pulling Aura out of people? Yeah, that's normal. It's the same as purifying Harrowed. The only difference is that it's much harder to steal Aura from a living person. It will resist, event if they are unconscious. But syncing your Aura with others, that's new to me. What happened to it anyway? You had to absorb quite a bit. What did you use it for?"

"Oh, I transferred it all to Ruby. She got stabbed in the chest, and was bleeding out, her Aura too weak to help her. That was the only way I could think of to save her."

Leon just stared at him.

Jaune knew that look. He smiled inconnelly, and gave him his best puppy eyes.

"Have I done well, Master? And why didn't you teach me this technique earlier?"

Leon groaned, hiding his face in his palms.

"Stop it. It was bad enough when you did that when you were younger. Now, it's just creepy." The older man shook his head. "That Semblance of yours… it's some serious bullshit, you know that?"

Jaune laughed.

"Yeah, you might have mentioned it a few times." His face become serious. "How did you know I absorbed his Aura anyway?"

Leon just lifted the black sword he was holding - and with a bit surprise, Jaune realized it was Eclipse. He took it from his teacher, watching it carefully. It didn't take him long to find it.

Its blade, pitch black up until now, had changed. It was subtle, anyone else would probably not notice it at all, but Jaune knew his sword. He made it with his own hands, with a piece of his own soul. There, just near the tip, there was a slight discoloration. A small, barely noticeable, hint of green.

Jaune sighed.

"So, how bad is it?"

Leon shrugged.

"You tell me."

Jaune hummed, considering his teacher's question. He could feel it, the strange hunger. It was muted there, not nearly as strong as back then, but still noticeable. Jaune was sure he could ignore it… for now.

"It's not bad." He said aloud. "I don't think I'll suddenly grab sword and start chopping." He added jokingly.

Leon didn't smile, just watched him carefully. Eventually, he slowly nodded.

"I hope so. Just one piece of advice Jaune, don't think, even for a second, that you can suppress it, or ignore it forever. If you try, it will just take you over in the worst possible situation."

The blond tensed.

"Wait, does that mean I have to hunt people now?"

Thankfully his teacher shook his head.

"No, Harrowed will be enough. But avoid eating any more people if you can. I'm not sure what would happen, but…" he trailed off, and Jaune just nodded.

"So, is it a normal thing? This hunger?"

Leon nodded.

"Remember what I told you when you said you wanted to make your own black sword?"

"That this is the first step to becoming a true Witcher."

"And?"

Jaune hummed, trying to recall the old memory.

"And that becoming a true Witcher is not a climbing mountain. It's like jumping down a cliff towards a dark sea. That once you take the first step, there is no turning back."

Leon nodded.

"The moment you absorbed Aura from your first Harrowed, you got taste of this power. It was weak, very weak. You probably didn't even notice it. But with every kill, you got a bit stronger, and your body, your very soul, got accustomed to it. It now craves this power. But Harrowed, even stronger ones, don't have much Aura left, and most of it is corrupted. You don't get much out of them. People, living people, are a different story though."

Jaune sighed. Well, nothing he could do about it now. As long as it didn't turn him into a maniacal murderer, he should be fine.

"Don't think about it too hard. I've only heard about two, maybe three, cases were people really lost it because they were absorbing too much Aura. Think about it as your desire to get stronger becomes a bit more… intense." Leon said, getting up.

"Well, I better be going now. See you later, kid."

"Hey, Leon." Jaune called out after him "How long was I out?"

The older man shrugged.

"Five days." He said, leaving the room.

 _Five days, huh?_

Not the longest he'd been out, but still quite a bit. Then again, he'd been expecting to die, so he supposed he shouldn't complain.

 _Damn, everyone must have been worried. I wonder what are they doing now._

* * *

The silence could be described only as awkward. It took a week before he was discharged from the hospital. Thankfully, none of his friends had died, but team RWBY was basically out of commission. Weiss suffered from heavy exasution and Dust over usage. She could barely move, and to her annoyance, she had to use a wheelchair. The doctors assured her she would make full recovery, but forbid her from using any Dust for the time being.

Blake, besides exasution, suffered several minor injuries. She was recovering quickly, and would be back in fighting condition in a few days.

Yang had it the worst - her right hand was in a cast, she had a few cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and had some internal bleeding when she was being extracted. Thankfully, the Healing Enhancer she drank helped to stabilize her until she got proper help. The doctors assured she would make full recovery, but it would probably take at least two or three weeks.

Ruby was in the best condition out of her team. She remained unconscious for two days, but it was due to exhaustion. The wound in her chest was completely gone, but the doctors insisted she remain in the hospital for observation for a few more days.

As for team JNPR, Jaune was the only one who suffered serious injuries. Even now, he had trouble controlling his Aura, and couldn't move as well as he would like to, but he was making steady recovery.

Now, three days after he was discharged, he was sitting on the bench in Beacon gardens, with a can of soda in hand and no idea what to say.

Judging by how tense she was, Ruby was the same.

Jaune groaned. They had been awkward around each other the whole time. At first, he wanted to ignore it, hoping things would just return to normal. But it quickly became clear that they would not. Eventually, Yang dragged him to the side and half begged, half demanded, that he fix things between him and her sister.

So, Jaune decided to ask Ruby to come here, where not many people visited. Hopefully, this would give them a chance to talk things out.

 _Come on Jaune. You raised six girls. You should be used to situations like this._

He glanced at Ruby, who, seeing him look at her, turned her head away. Jaune sighed. This was getting them nowhere. Well, considering it was him who asked her to come out here, it was up to him to start the conversation somehow.

"So… how are you feeling?" He asked finally.

 _Eh, good enough._

Ruby perked up, and forced a smile onto her face.

"Great! Perfect! Never been better!" She exclaimed.

Jaune sighed again. Why was this so hard? He and Ruby had fought about their beliefs. Some harsh words were exchanged, but considering how tense the situation was, it was to be expected. She'd almost died, then he saved her, almost dying in the process, and then, apparently, she saved him - and everyone else in that damned town.

If it were be any of the Hunters or Witchers he worked with, they would just shake hands, maybe 'spar' a bit to let the steam out, then go for a drink or two and laugh the whole incident off.

The problem was that he somehow doubted it would work with Ruby - especially the drinking part. He glanced at her again. She was so small, so fragile. Like she could break at the slightest touch.

He shook his head. No, it was insulting to think about her like that. She was a Huntress, perfectly capable of slaughtering hordes of Grimm on her own. She didn't need pity, or sympathy. He had to show her the respect she deserved, and treat her like the Huntress she was.

Or did he?

He glanced at her again. She was so small. Younger than anyone at Beacon, and even they were still considered kids. Many acted like that too. She was kid too. A badass Huntress, wielding an oversized sniper-scythe, an excellent marksman, and a prodigy who build that ridiculous weapon on her own.

But she was still a child. A socially awkward girl that had a big fight with her friend, almost died, and now now is probably regretting some of the words she said and wondering if the two of them were still friends.

To be honest, he was regretting some of the things he'd said too.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

She looked up at him surprised.

"For the things I said before we left. At least some of them. For the record, I still think staying in the city was a dumb idea, and that we should have moved out to help Atlas with that assault. Staying behind was a heroic thing, but…" he sighed.

"I once knew a guy. He was like that, always risking his life to help others. He was the kind of guy who would jump head first into danger without any hesitation, if only it meant he could help someone. Me and Leon had to pull him out of trouble plenty of times." He paused for a moment, glancing at Ruby. She was staring at him intently.

"He had wife and two kids. Always was promising them he would come back safely, that he would take care of himself. We promised we would make sure he kept his word. And then one time, he didn't. HE jumped into a burning building, because someone shouted there were still people inside. We were too slow to stop him, and he never made it out. He threw his life away, just like that. And worst thing? It is me and Leon who had to deal with the consequences. It was us who had to go back to his wife and children and tell them their husband and father wouldn't be coming home."

He looked her in the eyes. She held his gaze. There was… something in those silver orbs. Some kind of understanding. And determination.

"I wasn't the first time I saw this happen. Nor the last. But this was harder, since I knew the guy better. He was… maybe not friend, but an acquaintance." He shook his head. "Bringing the news of his death to his family was probably the hardest thing I've had to do, and I don't want to do it ever again. JNPR, and you guys on team RWBY, you are the first real friends I've had, not counting Sam and Leon. I don't want to one day visit your families to tell them that you threw your lives away in some pointless fight. I don't want any of you to have to visit my family with such news, because it hurts more than anything."

"I know." Ruby said quietly.

He looked at her, surprised.

"My mom… she was a Huntress too. One day she walked out on a mission, and never came back."

Jaune just stared at her.

"I… didn't know." He said finally.

She smiled sadly.

"I miss her, even though I was very small back then, and don't remember her that well. But I still miss her." She paused and looked to the sky. It was evening, the first stars appearing on darkening sky.

"She was the one who inspired me to be a Huntress. To help people, to bring them hope." She smiled at him.

"I don't intend to just throw my life away. Dad, Uncle Qrow, and Yang, they were all devastated when mom died. I don't want them to go through it again. But, I don't want anyone else to go through it either. I know how it is to lose someone close to you, and if I can prevent such a tragedy from happening, I think I have to." She paused for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I _want_ to."

Jaune hummed.

"You know, three… maybe even two years ago, I would have agreed with you."

Her head dropped.

"But not anymore?"

"No. Not anymore. I've seen too many pointless deaths to buy into that line of thinking. People dye all the time, they are always dying, and always will be. If not to the Grimm, then from other causes. You can't save everyone."

I know!" Ruby said, voice raising slightly. "I know." She added, calmer this time. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try!"

"Save those we can? Sure, but I won't throw my life away. I won't jump into a burning building, just because there might be someone still alive inside. I won't leave people I care about behind for some stranger, not if I can help it. I'm not a Hero, Ruby."

She smiled at him sadly.

"I know. You are a Professional, aren't you?" She said bitterly.

He shrugged.

"Nah, I don't think so." Her eyes snapped back to him, surprised. He chuckled. "If I were a Professional, I wouldn't go back into an overrun city just to drag few stubborn Huntresses who decided to stay behind. I wouldn't run off into enemy territory to look for one crazy, scythe-wielding Hero. I wouldn't give her all my Aura just to give her chance to get to safety."

Ruby blushed slightly at that, and Jaune smiled.

"And I wouldn't do any of that, if those were some random people. But you guys, you are my friends. And for you, I'll risk my life. I'll jump into a burning building, if there is the slightest chance of saving any of you. Even if all I achieved was dragging your body out, so you could get proper burial. I would still do it. I'm a hypocrite, Ruby. A selfish, slightly delusional, cynical hypocrite. I will condemn anyone doing the things I mentioned, but I'll do it without a second of hesitation if it's for my friends." He grinned at her. "I'll leave the heroics to you. Me? I'll guess I'll just focus on dragging your heroic ass out of the mess you inevitably put yourself into."

Ruby stared at him for a long while, then giggled.

"Alright. But I still think it was the right choice to stay and protect those people. Even with all that happened, all that _could_ happen, I don't regret it." She said, placing one hand where the sword pierced her chest.

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Good. I would be really disappointed if you regretted it. But for the record - I still think it was a really dumb idea."

Ruby giggled.

"As was giving me the last of your Aura, and telling me to run."

He chuckled, and then shot her curious glance.

"By the way, what the hell happened back there? The last thing I remember was everything going white."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure myself. I passed out too. Uncle Qrow said that I have some special superpower, something about my eyes, but he didn't know any specifics. He said Professor Ozpin might know more." She paused, suddenly looking afraid. "But, don't tell anyone I told you, ok? Uncle Qrow said to keep it a secret for now." Her expression turned into one of panic. "I didn't even tell Yang! Or Weiss! They will kill me if they find out I told you first!"

Jaune chuckled and, rubbed her hair. The motion felt so natural to him, that he didn't even realize what he was doing until Ruby pouted at him. But she didn't pull back.

"My lips are sealed." He promised.

She smiled and looked up at him.

 _Ah, here come her famous puppy dog eyes, the signature attack of every little girl. Good thing I developed a strong resistance to this fearsome technique._

"Does this mean we're still friends?" She asked, staring in his eyes unblinkingly.

He could help but laugh, and rub her head again.

"Of course we are. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

She smiled brightly, and after a moment of hesitation, hugged him. Jaune chuckled, surprised, then hugged her back.

"By the way, what is this?" He said, nodding towards package lying beside the bench they were sitting on.

Ruby pulled out of the hug, looked at where he indicated, then blushed.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She grabbed the package and handed it to him.

"Here!" She said, with a broad smile. "A get-well gift. Well, you got well before I finished it, so I thought it might be a makeup gift, but since we did make up, I guess it's just a gift now?" She said, laughing nervously.

Jaune stared at her for a few moments, then slowly unpacked it.

It was a gauntlet, big enough to cover his arm up to elbow. Painted in gold and white, It was fairly bulky, but when he put his on, he realized it wasn't as cumbersome as he feared. It shouldn't get in the way when fighting.

But, judging by its thickness, weight, and who gave it to him, it couldn't be a simple gauntlet. He could feel his Aura reacting to it.

"So… what does it transform into?" He asked.

Ruby smiled broadly.

"Just focus your Aura into it. But carefully!" She stepped to the side. "And don't aim it at people!"

He shot her a suspicious glance, but turned his hand away from her, and started focusing his Aura. It flowed into the gauntlet, and he could feel some mechanism shift. Moments later, the plate at the top shifted to the side, and twin barrels of something that looked like small cannon popped out.

"I had some trouble figuring out a good trigger mechanism, but since you're good with Aura control, I needed to go with Aura-sensitive fibers. It need some calibration before you can use it fully, but even now you should be able to shoot a simple burst of Aura to knock someone around. Once we are done with calibrations, you will be able to add Dust, to add other effects, like turning it into a flamethrower, or something like that. I would advise against using electricity, or ice Dust, they can mess up with the mechanism. Since you said you're bad at aiming, and arm-mounted weapons are not very accurate to begin with, I wanted to give you something with a wide area of effect, and possibly some crowd control. It doesn't have much range, according to my calculations, only ten to fifteen meters, but if you load something into the barrels, you should be able to shoot it out at longer distances. I tested it with metal slugs, and from one hundred meters it was able to pierce an Ursa skull. It doesn't use a traditional firing mechanism, so normal ammo won't be effective, but you can load pretty much any solid object into it, and it will shoot it out."

She took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. Then looked at him with a small smile.

"So, how do you like it?"

Jaune was speechless. He just stared at the girl in front of him, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Finally, he took a deep breath, stood up, and placed both hands on his friend's shoulders.

"Ruby?"

"Y-yes?"

"I want… no, I _need_ to test it out. Like, right now."

She grinned.

"Then let's go! The shooting range should be still open!

* * *

 **Ok, here it is. Or blond witcher finally realizes the truth about himself - and that is that he doesn't really know who he is yet. But he is fine with it.**

 **He also makes up with Ruby, and gets himself a gun. Sort of.**

 **If everything goes according to plan, TPA should finish in two chapters. I may, or may not, write a short epilogue after that. And what then?**

 **Well, I have next story planned (actually planned, not just a vague idea like with this one). I was working on it slowly when I got free time over the past few months, and have a few chapters ready. So, it will most probably take over after TPA ends. More details about the new story soon.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	48. A Moment of Respite

**Welcome to Ch 47 of TPA**

* * *

"Allright, let's go." Ruby nodded and stepped to the side, beside panel of reinforced glass.

Jaune took a deep breath and extended his right arm, focusing on his Aura. A metal plate slid to the side, and the twin barrels of his cannon extended, letting out soft hum. His fingered the cylinder at the base of barrels, activating the Dust stored there.

Then, a nearly fifteen meter long stream of fire burst out, covering several training droids standing in front of him. Jaune focused on stabilizing the flow of his Aura to his gauntlet. It wasn't too hard, but he still wasn't used to it yet. After nearly minute of continuous fire, he cut off the Aura flow and took off the protective goggles he was wearing.

Nothing exploded, he didn't run out of Aura in seconds, the flame had good range and, judging by the melted scraps of metal that the training drones turned into, was hot enough to actually do some decent damage.

Ruby let out a relieved breath. It was her first time working with such Aura-sensitive fibers, and the first test had left a lot to be desired. Jaune was quick to assure her it was just him needing time to get used to it, but it quickly became apparent that the device itself needed some work. It took too much time to charge it up, it was prone to prematurely releasing stored Aura, and the release mechanism sometimes failed. But biggest problem was efficiency. It consumed almost ten percent of Jaune's Aura with every shot - far too much for what it did.

Thankfully, all of RWBY and JNPR were exempted from patrol duties on account of suffering major injures. Since lessons were still suspended, Jaune and Ruby had a lot of free time, and they happily used it to look after their baby.

Ruby frowned. For some reason Jaune was getting embarrassed when she was said that out loud.

When she first started working on it, she had asked herself one simple question - what would Jaune need in a gun?

She liked to think she knew her fellow team leader well enough to know the answer to this questions, but just to be sure, she consulted her uncle and Jaune's teacher. She was able to make a list of the most desirable properties for her new project.

The ability to be used without occupying both hands.

Quick to deploy, and the ability to deploy in the middle of combat.

The ability to retain effectiveness in harsh conditions with minimal maintenance.

The ability to use improvised ammo.

With no small amount of pride, Ruby could say she met all of those guidelines. The construction was fairly simple, and used a minimal amount of moving and delicate parts. It had two canisters for powdered Dust, and a simple supply mechanism ensured even crudely milled crystals could be used without risk of malfunction. Even without it, the weapon had its uses. It could shoot out burst of pure Aura that, even if didn't do much damage, was enough to knock people, or Grimm, around. And If any solid object was loaded in the barrel - it could be shot out with significant force.

Ruby smiled happily to herself, flipping through several pages of text and numbers on her scroll. The tests look good, it appeared that Jaune would be able to use his new toy in the next team sparring session RWBY and JNPR had planned in two days.

"So, how does it look?" Jaune asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"Good. Readings are good, it seems we fixed the problem with Aura transfer. Heatsinks work, judging by results, you should be able to keep a flame of this temperature for around two minutes, though I wouldn't advise it."

She scrolled a few more pages, analyzing the results of the various diagnostic programs she had running, before giving an approving nod.

"Well, activation time is a bit slow, but I suppose it will get better once you get used to it. If not, I could always replace the trigger mechanism using more Dust-sensitive fibers, but that would make it more prone to failure. Overall, I'd say it's ready for use in combat." She shot him a smile. "Though I would test it in more controlled environments first, before you take it to the field."

Jaune nodded. After yesterday's checkups, he and Yang had finally received doctor's permission to start training again. To celebrate this, both teams agreet for joint training session.

Jaune smiled. This sounded like perfect opportunity to give his and Ruby bab… creation, a test drive.

The blond sighed, shooting a quick glance at younger girl. Why the hell she did she have to keep saying things like that? It didn't take long for someone to overhear, make a very wrong conclusion, and start spreading rumors. This led to several… awkward conversations. First was with Miss Goodwitch. Thankfully, she was convinced pretty quickly the rumors were false. Next was Yang.

The blonde brawler was much harder to calm down, but she eventually let out a tired sigh and walked away, muttering something about 'the talk'.

Mey and his mother however, were totally different story. How they learned about it, he had no idea, but they informed him that he doesn't have to worry about finding a nanny, because both women had already made a schedule. They also sent him a list of fifty names for both girls and boys. Thankfully, his sisters weren't infected by this madness, and promised to calm them down before something embarrassing happened.

Jaune sighed. The first few days were tough, what with most of the first years giving him evil glares. He wasn't sure why, but thankfully rumors started dying out quickly. Partially because of his friends' efforts, partially because everyone had more important things on their minds.

"So, now that it's ready, there is one more thing we need to do." Ruby said, closing her scroll and looking him in the eyes.

"Name it?"

She nodded.

"Well, I gave it some thought… how about Aegis?"

Ruby hummed.

"It's not bad." She said, after a moment of thought. "But I think a bit too.. Simplistic. And don't really fit that well, since its primary function is offense, not defense." She shrugged. "Let's think about it later, these things can't be rushed. For now…" she grinned, opening a black case she was holding and revealing several small, colorful balls. "Let's see how these babies work out."

Jaune grinned. Working on his gauntlet wasn't the only think they'd been doing for this past week. He also shared some of his ideas with her. Ruby shot down most of them as impractical, or too dangerous, but a few earned her approval. Th small, round object he was holding was one of them.

Jaune smiled. There was a time, shortly after he made his first Elixirs, that he got interested in developing other tools for use against the many types of monsters he would face in the future, desperate for any edge in a fight he could get. Dust bombs, makeshift grenades, poisons that would work on Grimm or Harrowed. The results were mixed. Explosives proved useful, poisons less so. But the resources required, and how dangerous they were to store and use, led to Jaune mostly abandoning these type of tools. He still would sometimes use them when he had time to prepare, but that was it.

But now, with his new weapon, things had changed.

 _Ok, let's see how it work._

He loaded one such ball, painted in black, green and red into his cannon. He focused his Aura, and shot it out. The projectile flew out, and after traveling nearly fifty meters it burst out, letting out a mixture of finely ground Wind and Fire Dust. The green crystals activated, forming a circular current that ensured the red particles stayed in the air, and did not spread out over too large of an area.

Half a second later, the miniature detonator hidden inside the ball activated, igniting the Fire Dust powder.

A wave of rapidly expelled air and heat hit Jaune like hammer, knocking him back. He staggered to his feet and grinned. When you asked anyone on Remnant what a dust explosion was, they would look at you strange, and then answer that it was when crystals, or powdered Dust exploded. Afterall, it wasn't uncommon to hear about such accidents happening in mines, claiming lives of multiple miners. But, while traveling with Leon, Jaune learned that even something as common as flour could cause a massive explosion, if right conditions were met. All you needed was small particles of an easily flammable substance spread in the air, and a way to ignite it.

He spent some time experimenting with this idea, and had some limited success. He did manage to make what he called a dust-cloud bomb, but it turned out to be failure. Sure, it was powerful, too powerful in fact. Too dangerous to be used in an enclosed space, since the violent explosion and heat would easily deplete the oxygen, while in open areas it was way too unreliable, since a strong gust of wind could spread the mixture over too large an area, preventing it from exploding. On top of that, he couldn't figure out how to make a reliable ignition mechanism - a simple fuse that he used for most of his hand bombs wasn't good enough. He used it only twice, and abandoned the project.

But now, with Ruby's help, things had changed. They were able to develop a reliable way to form a cloud, keep it in place even in windy conditions, and ignite. And with his new weapon, he had a means to deliver the payload over greater distances.

Jaune giggled happily, loading the next ball, taking aim and firing. The next explosion was smaller, and didn't knock him down, but he could still feel a wave of heat wash over him.

 _I think I'm starting to understand why Nora seems so happy every time she gets to fire a few grenades. This is so much fun!_

He thought, firing a third one.

A small hand on his shoulder stopped him from firing a forth. He glanced at Ruby, who gave him an apologetic smile.

"I think this is enough tests for now."

Jaune pouted, but took off his gauntlet. Oh well, he was certain he would get plenty of opportunities to use it in near future. Then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Ruby…"

"No, we can't make it rapid fire." She said, without even looking at him.

He tsked. There went that idea. Why did life have to deny him even the simplest pleasures? All he wanted to to was to blow up some shit and watch the remains burn to ash. Jaune sighed, and started cleaning his new weapon under Ruby's watchfull gaze. He couldn't' help but chuckle. She was very strict when it came to taking care of your weapons, and while he understood its importance, he listened carefully to the younger girl's instructions. Afterall, swords didn't have many moving parts, and even though his shield could collapse into a sheath, it was a really simple mechanism.

A few minutes later, when Ruby judged his work good enough, they packed their things and left Beacon's shooting range. It never ceased to amaze him just how much money went into maintaining a Hunter academy. He wasn't sure if Bacon was some kind of exception, but the amount of facilities it had was staggering. Forget the classrooms, dorms, massive library, infirmary with equipment some hospitals would kill to have, or high class meals they were served.

The foundry, training rooms, weapon tasting rooms, and shooting range was what had Jaune shaking his head in disbelief. There is so much equipment there, that if you were to man all the work tables, they could gear up a small army in a matter of weeks.

Then again, maybe that was the intent. Hunter academies were much more than simple schools. Even since they arrived, Atlas personnel were a constant sight in the foundry, performing weapon maintenance, producing ammo and so on. It felt less like a school, and more like some military facility.

 _Then again, we are basically in a state of war._

While the situation was mostly under control, with most of the smaller settlements evacuated, and the bigger ones heavily defended, The White Fang was still threat, even after their base in Mountain Glenn was destroyed, most of its members captured or killed, there was still a few squads of Fang Knights roaming around, determined to cause as many casualties as possible.

From what he learned from his team, the siege of Mountain Glenn went relatively quickly. The first assault was stopped by the combined force of Faunus, Grimm and Harrowed. Not wanting to waste his soldiers lives, General Ironwood ordered a retreat, and then surrounded the ruined city with his fleet. One day was given for the hiding terrorists to surrender, with a promise of fair treatment.

To many people's surprise, many of the Faunus took this offer. They were more than willing to talk, and their tales of cruel treatment of new recruits, as well as inhuman experiments performed at those who were suspected of not being loyal enough to the cause quickly spread. That's why, when the promised day passed, there were not many who opposed Ironwood's decision to drop several high-yield bombs on the White Fang base. After that, several squadrons of Atlas mechs were sent in to mop up any survivors. The reason only mechanized troops were sent were warnings some of the prisoners had given about large amounts of toxic substances the White Fang was accumulating in the base.

Just one day after General Ironwood announced the successful elimination of the White Fang's main base of operation, and promised that the current crisis will be resolved in a matter of days, several squad of Fang Knights performed a suicidal raid on several of Vales Tv and radio stations. They announcement was simple enough - we are not done yet, and we will soon hit you back. Hard.

Seven days were given to Vale to make peace with the gods, before divine retribution will be delivered." Many people didn't take it seriously. The White Fang was beaten, and this was surely their last ditch effort to instill fear in Vale's populace. There was nothing to worry about.

The fact that there were more soldiers, and the Huntsmen guarding Atlas' walls ought to put people at ease.

As did the fact that most all of the attacks from the rogue White Fang cells stopped right after the announcement was made.

But as the time of the supposed 'judgment day' came closer, people started getting nervous. They still laughed, still joked, many already declared the crisis over. But no one could deny the feeling of tension in the air.

Jaune sighed, and checked his scroll. Two days, one hour, and twenty five minutes until whatever the Fang had planned would be put in motion. Of course, despite the public announcements to not panic, the Atlas military and Hunters were on high alert. Several squads were still going through the wreckage of Fang abscess, looking for any clues as to what they might have planned. So far, with little result.

He sighed and shook his head, as he and Ruby entered Beacon's cafeteria, the usual hum of cheerful conversation filled the massive hall. But it all felt just a bit to forced. Everyone was nervous, even if they didn't want to admit it.

Jaune smiled when Pyrrha waved to him, and both team leaders joined their teams to enjoy dinner. They joked, laughed, and tried their best to ignore the feeling of unease they all felt. None of them believed it was over. Something was going to happen, soon.

Jaune checked his scroll again. If the White Fang were to be believed, in one day, and twenty three hours.

* * *

All thing considered, they were very well prepared, Jaune thought, leaving the training room with the rest of his friends. His Aegis (name pending) survived its first live performance, and while the activation time was still as a bit slow, it was much better than before. The injuries they suffered didn't leave any lasting effects, proving one more time that Aura was one hell of a drug.

Vale itself was protected by not only Huntsmen, but also Atlas soldiers. Almost seventy Witchers responded to the call for aid - and honestly this was the most Jaune had ever seen gathered in a single place.

So, all things considered, they were as prepared for anything the White Fang had in store for them as they could be.

Or at least they thought they were.

Approximately nineteen hours before the appointed time, a terrified scream sounded from one of many refugees camps. A team of peacekeepers rushed in, only to report that some kind of monster was attacking people. A ream of Hunters was sent in to investigate, and they reported that some kind of Harrowed appeared, requesting Witcher support.

A few minutes later, all hell broke loose. Multiple Harrowed sightings were reported all around the city, mindless monsters attacking everyone in sight. No one knew where they were coming from, but there were so many of them that many sections of the city had to be abandoned. It was hard to evacuate so many people, and the fact that many of the refugees turned out to be White Fang operatives further complicated matters. They charged at soldiers and Hunters without a hint of hesitation or fear, and even though they were dispatched quickly, they still managed to cause casualties among civilians.

Even then, thanks to swift reaction, by the end of the night the situation was mostly under control. Civilians were evacuated into safe regions, every White Fang operative was killed or apprehended, and teams were formed to clean the Harrowed infested parts of the city.

And then, on one of main squares, the earth shook, and just a few moments later, a train burst out of the ground. Grimm, Harrowed, and White Fang burst out of hole in the ground, killing everyone in sight.

And thus, the battle for Vale began.

* * *

 **And here it is. Nothing much happened here, expect Jaune channeling his inner Nora, but it was more of set up. Next week, the final battle in what most probably will be last chapter of TPA. I might write some short epilogue after that, but I'm not sure about it.**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all next week.**


	49. A Story's End

**Welcome to great finale of TPA. JJD, one more time into the breach.**

 **JJD: Cue the wailing guitars and explosions**

* * *

Jaune jumped out of the bullhead, his mind racing. The situation felt familiar in some way. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with a sudden outburst of Harrowed in the middle of city, or a horde of Grimm that came out of nowhere and breached some villages' defences. He was certain that in such a situation, he would have no problem making the use of his team. Four trained combatants with unlocked Aura was about twice as many as he was used to working with.

There was just one, small problem.

This wasn't some frontier village. This was Vale - a capital city with thousands of people living in close quarters. There were easily hundreds of civilians in the area, screaming, and running around, each trying to get as far away as possible from the growing horde of monsters pouring from the massive hole in the ground.

Jaune cursed. It was too much. Too big an area to cover, too many civilians to escort, too many enemies to deal with. What should he do? What could he do with just himself and his teammates? When would reinforcements come? Should he prioritize evacuation, or killing hostiles?

He shook his head. There was no point in heistating. The breach happened in a large plaza, basically in the center of the city, not far from the shopping district. In a situation like that getting civilians to safety wasn't the priority.

Stopping Grimm from spreading out was.

"So, what's the plan, Fearless Leader?"

Jaune drew Eclipse.

"We need to keep them contained, prevent them from running off into the city. Start circling the plaza, kill any you see. then we converge on the impact zone. Be careful to not get swarmed, if you are in trouble retreat. Reinforcements should be coming in shortly."

They nodded and ran off, the blond Witcher focused on his first prey. The large Ghoul didn't even noticed his approach, too busy trying to get into some shop. Eclipse pinned it to the ground. Jaune hesitate for a moment. He could feel corrupted Aura circulating through its body, slowly flowing into black blade. He hadn't had much time to practice with the fully awakened Eclipse, but he knew he could speed up this process. The question was - should he? Leon warned him that he should be carefull with his new abilities, and it would only take a few seconds to purge this one. But then…

The blond Witcher spared a quick glance at horde of monsters running around.

There were tens, if not hundreds of them - Grimm, Harrowed, even some White Fang - running around. Could he spare a few extra seconds for every Ghoul he killed?

With a huff, Jaune focused, and _pulled,_ ripping Eclipse from the Ghoul's body, and with it, what little Aura it had. He waited for a moment to see if he got the same rush that he'd gotten when he killed the White Fang commander, but nothing like that happened. If the Faunus terrorist was the best meal of one's life, this was more of a bland snack, something you ate without even really registering the taste.

Jaune smirked, and dashed back into the fray. As long as he kept a cool head, he should be fine.

* * *

Ruby leaned on Crescent Rose, taking deep breaths. She spared a quick glance behind her - the group of civilians they were escorting almost finished boarding Atlas bullheads. This whole situation brought up some very fresh, and very unpleasant memories - but hopefully this time it wouldn't be as bad.

She huffed and looked back towards the group of Ghouls she just disabled. Twenty black, deformed creatures were lying on the ground, with severed legs and arms, easy targets for the two Witchers that accompanied her team.

"Good job there, Red." One of them said, handing her bottle of water that she accepted gratefully.

"I must say, I'm impressed. Most kids these days just go for the kill, but you just disabled them. It's not your first time facing Harrowed, is it?"

She nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. Friend of my is a Witcher too. He taught us a bit about how to fight them."

The older man nodded, checking something on his scroll.

"Allright, we are about done here. Can you check area one more time, see if we missed anyone?"

Ruby nodded, and dashed ahead. So far evacuating civilians from infected parts of the city was going well. Of course, hidden White Fang soldiers were still a real problem, but most of them were already apprehended. Now, the biggest problem was the breach in the middle of the city.

Ruby bit her lip, landing on the roof of some two storey building. Team JNPR was sent there to stop the incursion, and even though she knew they would receive reinforcements soon, she was still worried. Would they be ok? From what she'd heard, there were a lot of baddies there - Grimm, Harrowed, and even White Fang soldiers. Reinforcements were on the way, but Vale's defenders were already stretched thin, trying to contain multiple pockets of Harrowed.

Rubu sighed, jumping from roof to roof, looking for any civilians. She'd better focus on her own job. Maybe if they finished quickly, they could go and help JNPR. She paused when she noticed some movement on the street down below. Her eyebrows narrowed. This area should have been cleaned out already. Did some Ghoul wander in? Or was it some civilian? Should she go Investigate on her own, or call for backup?

With a shrug, the young Huntress jumped off of the roof and started carefully heading towards the alley she thought she saw someone walk into. If this was a civilian, it was better to grab them quickly.

And if it was the enemy? Well, she was confident she could take on any stray Ghoul, or White Fang soldier. And even if she couldn't, she could always run away.

She stopped near the entrance to the alley, and carefully peeked inside. It was empty, save for one dumpster, and some trash lying around. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she noticed a quiet sound. She slowly walked into the alley, focusing on it. It was barely noticeable, but it sounded like… crying? Or whispering?

Neither Grimm, nor Harrowed talked.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" She called out and waited for a few seconds. Nothing happened,

After a moment of consideration, Ruby started carefully walking forward, scanning her surroundings for any potential ambush. There weren't many hiding spots she could see, only two doors, that looked to be closed, and a few windows. Her eyes traveled to the large, metal dumpster. It was big enough for someone to hide behind it - or inside.

She stared carefully approaching it, weapon at the ready. The closer she got, the more tense she was, Jaune's lessons about Ghouls flashing in her mind. They were mainly ambush predators. They preferred to hide in dark places, and jump on unsuspecting prey when it came close enough.

But how close was 'enough'?

She was no more than five meters from the dumpster now, well within a Ghoul's jump distance.

"You can come out. I'm a Huntress, I'm not going to hurt you." She called out

 _Unless you are from the White Fang._ he thought, tightening her grip on her weapon. Each step she took made her even more tense. If this was a Ghoul, it would have attacked her already, right? So it was probably a person.

Ruby sighed.

If only that made things easier. She slowly come closer, each step carefully measured, ready to burst into action at the first sign of danger. She could almost hear the raspy breathing now.

Soon, five meters become four, then three and two. Ruby swallowed, the tension in the air was so thick she could cut it with Crescent Rose.

 _Calm down girl, at this rate you will cut them down as soon as they move…_

She normally wasn't so jumpy, nor so careful. But recent events, including, but not limited to, multiple ambushes by hidden White Fang soldiers, suicide attacks on refugees camps, and well, almost dying two weeks ago, left its mark on her.

"Come out. There is an evacuation point nearby, we will take you to safety." She called out one more time. There was no response, but she could hear something shuffling around.

She sighed and took a deep breath. There was no time to waste, her friends were fighting out there. Besides, if she hadn't been attacked yet, there was a good chance that whoever was hiding behind the dumpster wasn't hostile.

 _Or it's not person at all. I think I'll break something if it turns out to be rat, or some stray cat…_

She covered the remaining distance in one burst of her Semblance, Crescent Rose aimed at whoever - or whatever - was making those noises.

The man looked small, but it was probably just because he was curled up in a small ball, his arms wrapped around his knees, and rocking back and forth. The tattered pants on his legs, and some dirty rag that he'd thrown over his shoulders made it clear he was either some beggar, or refugee.

"It's alright. Everything will be fine." Ruby said, lowering her weapon, and slowly approaching him. Now that she took a closer look, she could say that the man was in bad shape. Once upon a time, he probably had an impressive build, but now was painfully thin, probably due to starvation, and covered in bruises and scars. His head looked uneven, like part of his skull was missing. Judging by the green-fish scales covering his arms, face and torso, he was some kind of reptile Faunus.

Ruby hesitated for a moment. The man continued rocking back and forth, and now that she was closer, she could hear him muttering something under his breath. Something about him looked familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

One thing was certain - he wasn't from the White Fang. The Faunus looked like he could barely move, let alone fight. Hell, he looked like he'd spent weeks imprisoned somewhere…

And then it clicked. Two weeks ago, when she nearly died. The reason why they had to stay longer than anticipated - a group of refugees, escaped from one of the White Fang camps. Twenty or so people, all in terrible condition, whispering in terror about what was done to them. This man, he was one of them.

Ruby sighed, and approached slowly, to not startle the Faunus. Though so far he hadn't give any indication he'd noticed the young Huntress.

"It's alright. Come with me, I'll take you to safety." She said softly, coming closer and extending her hand towards him. She was so close now, she could almost understand what he was saying, and strange smell hit her nose. It wasn't the usual odor of a body not washed for too long, it was different. And for some reason, it was familiar.

Ruby paused, her eyes narrowed. This smell… for some reason she had a really bad feeling about it. She looked the man over again, looking for anything that could be seen as a weapon. Now that she was closer, she could see the glint of something metal in his right hand - probably a knife or small dagger. Not the most dangerous weapon, and beside his rags, he really seemed to not have any other belongings.

"Are you alright?" She asked, watching him carefully.

Man stilled, then chuckled.

"All… right?" He repeated, his voice raspy.

Ruby winced. It wasn't the best question, but at least she'd gotten his attention. Kinda.

"Come with me. I'll get you to the evac point. You'll get help there." She said, taking another careful step forward. Whatever this blade was, it was no danger to her, but it was better to not provoke him. The Faunus was clearly not in the right state of mind. She recalled a few lessons they'd had in Beacon, back when this whole mess started. The teachers warned them that people during crisis, especially if they'd suffered great loss, might act irrational, and perceive everyone as a threat. Jaune warned them about it several times as well.

"Heeelp?" The man said quietly, stretching out the word. Ruby shivered. For some reason, he was giving her the creeps.

"I don't need your help little girl..." he said, and chucked.

The young Huntress paused. Now, so close, she took better look at man, Some of the darker spots on his body, that she initially took for scales, proved to be just discoloration of skin. Was that blood? He looked wounded, some of the gashes on his body still ozzed dark liquid. But it was black, and thick, looking more like tar than blood. For some reason, it brought to mind Jaune, when he showed them his blackened limb.

Ruby's eyes widened.

The Faunus' head snapped up, his eyes, burning with eldritch, greenish light bearing into hers.

"For I have been CHOSEN!" He roared, lunging at her, black dagger coming for her throat.

* * *

Jaune tore Eclipse out of the dying Beowolf body, and spun to face his next opponent. The Ursa roared, raising up to its full height. The blond scoffed, taking full advantage of the stupid beast's mistake and decapitating it in a single strike. He huffed, and seeing no immediate danger, he took stock of battlefield. His team was holding up… for now. They managed to stop the enemies from spreading further into the city, but at the rate new ones were coming, it was only a matter of time before they were overran. Thankfully, some reinforcements had already showed up - a squad of ten Atlas soldiers had arrived a few minutes ago. Some of them took care of the civilians, dragging them out of the combat zone and tending to wounded. Some put their guns to good use, providing support fire for the four Hunters.

But it was not enough.

He winced, his hand twitching towards the new pouch on his belt. Powdered Dust Bombs - PDB for short - would clear out large portion of enemies, but he was hesitant to use it here. Not because of the fact that there were a few Faunus - so technically people - among the Grimm and Ghoul horde, but because he wasn't sure what effect such a big explosion will have. There was a lot of rubble lying around, and if it was knocked around it could really hurt his teammates, maybe even the civilians and Atlas soldiers.

Plus, even though he personally cared about his and his team's lives more than the collateral damage such an explosion would cause, he would prefer to not accidentally set city on fire. They had enough problems as it was.

Jaune shook his head, and took a deep breath. The soldiers were almost done with clearing out the civilians, he would wait until they were done. And then…

The earth shook, there was the terrible sound as of metal being twisted and teared apart, and then the front car of the train that caused the breach shot a good five meters in the air, followed shortly by a massive King Taijitu. Jaune just stared at the massive beast, then sighed, and took a black ball from his pouch.

"Fire in the hole! Get down everyone!" He shouted as loud as he could, more for the benefit of Atlas soldiers and civilians. His team will be fine. Even if they were closer to explosion, they had their Aura to protect them.

He took a second to take aim, and activated his new weapon. The massive snake's angry hiss turned into pained screech. It lasted only for a brief moment, before it was drowned into a loud explosion, just as its body was consumed by a massive fireball. It lasted a few seconds, before disappearing and revealing picture of utter destruction.

The King Taijitu laid dead, one of its heads completely obliterated, the other charred, and still burning. Numerous smaller Grimm laid around, their burning corpses turning into black smoke.

 _And just like that, five thousands of Lien went out with a puff of smoke._

Jaune grinned, lowering his hand.

 _Totally worth it._

At least until he'd have to explain to Nora why he never told her he had something like that, and that she wouldn't be getting any. At least not anytime soon. He could already see the short girl staring at him hungirly, Ren's hand on her shoulder probably the only thing stopping her from rushing him.

Oh, well, he would deal with it later.

A quick look around revealed that the civilians and Atlas soldiers were fine, if a little shaken. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, and focused back on the battlefield. The massive explosion killed, or stunned most of the hostiles, which gave them a moment to catch their breath. All the White Fang soldiers laid on the ground, unmoving, and judging by how close they were to the point of impact, Jaune doubted they would be getting up.

Fine by him.

Many of the Grimm were killed or knocked around, some of them still burning. Those would need to be dealt with fast, before they tried something funny, like running into buildings to try and set them aflame. He'd seen it happen a few times, and while not a common occurrence, he prefered to not take any chances. There were a fair number of dead Ghouls lying around. Some were in one piece, but many were torn apart.

Jaune winced. This area would be pain to cleanse later on.

But for now, they needed to get back to work. There were still a fair number of enemies not affected by explosion, and while new ones had stopped flowing in, due to the hole being blocked by the King Taijitu's body, it would not last for long. Better clean up as many as they could.

* * *

Ruby easily ducked under the swing, and used her Semblance to dash upwards. She kicked off of the wall, and then another and landed on the roof of a nearby building, the Faunus' glowing eyes tracking her the whole time. She hesitated for a moment, before pointing Crescent Rose at him.

"I'll give you one chance. Surrender peacefully, and you will be given fair treatment."

The Faunus just laughed. It was… normal. Not maniacal, like some creepy villain from the cartoons she used to watch, but regular laughter of a normal person. For some reason, she felt a bit of disappointed.

"Save your breath, little miss. You words, and the authority of your masters have no power over me. No longer! For I have been chosen!"

Ruby winced. He was clearly not taking her seriously. Well, that was about to change.

"I'm warning you, I'm authorized to use lethal force to neutralize of anyone I judge posing a threat to the security of Vale and it's citizens." She tried one more time. Of course, she wasn't about to kill the man. Not unless she had to.

He just shook his head.

"Lethal? Little girl, I'm a Chosen! I transcended silly concepts such as mortality, or morality for that matter. And soon, all of you will join us!" He shouted, spreading his arms wide. " Soon, the Project will be completed!" His mouth stretched into wide, delighted smile. His eyes drifted shut, and he looked like he was in some kind of ecstasy.

Ruby shivered.

 _Allright, that confirms it, this guy is insane._

She took aim and fired. The bullet tore through the man's thigh, splattering blood and meat everywhere. The wound was so big that it almost tore his leg off. Ruby tensed. He had no Aura?! Then how he could move so fast? Did she just kill him?

But the strange Faunus didn't seem to be bothered by what happened. He stood there, with his arms spread wide, and the same smile on his face. Eventually he sighed, and shook his head.

"It's pointless, little girl. I told you, you can't kill me. You can't even hurt me. I already died once, and now such minor hindrances can't stop me anymore. That being said, I'll have to ask you to not to damage this body too much." He looked at her and smiled. It was an easy, friendly smile. As if he was asking her for some small favor. "I can just borrow one from lesser ones, but I'm a bit emotionally attached to this one." He winked at her. "It's my original one, afterall.."

Ruby started at the man for a moment. Original one? Little ones? What the hell was he talking about?

She took aim again, and let out a startled yelp when the Faunus basically materialized in front of her. Yet again, she barely managed to dodge his black dagger.

 _Allright, he might be insane, but he is definitely strong._

How did he get up there anyway? Did he jump? Teleport? And what about his leg, he should be bleeding like crazy. One look revealed that the wound was gone, covered in some black goo. In fact, it covered most of his wounded leg now, pulsating slightly. Ruby winced. It looked really creepy. Whoever her opponent was, he clearly wasn't normal person.

 _Well, he might not be a person at all…_

She thought, eyeing him carefully. Jaune did mention that sometimes Harrowed retained their sanity for some time after death. And if what this man said was true, he was already dead.

 _So is he some kind of Ghoul? But they can't regenerate like that!_

At least they shouldn't. If this was something that Jaune just forgot to tell them about, she would have words with him later.

"Now then, let's not drag it out. I would prefer to avoid hurting you too much. Just stay still, and I'll make sure…" there was a sound of gunshot, and the Faunus eyes widened. He looked to the side, where his right arm laid severed on the roof. He stared at it, and the rose petals flying around for a few moments, then just sighed.

"Oh well, I'll guess we're doing it hard way. Just don't blame me if your Ascension fails because of that." He turned around, just in time to see Ruby bursting into a cloud of rose petals again.

* * *

Eclipse bit into black flesh, tearing through skin, muscle and bone. It burst out, a fountain of blood and bits of flesh seemingly suspended in the air. Jaune spent an instant looking at it, marveling at its savage beauty. He never understood why blood was only thing that had color, besides the lights of Aura in this dark, grey word, result of him drinking Dusk.

Well, it was a question for another time. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

Like for example this Beowolf that was lunging at him from behind. The blond ducked, and thrust upwards, impaling the beast through the chest. He tightened grip on his sword, using the Grimm's own momentum split it in half. He huffed and got up, scanning the battlefield. It didn't take long for a new wave of enemies to come after the King Taijitu died. They burst out of the hole and threw themselves at the four Hunters with reckless abandon. There was no reason, no tactic to their attack. As one, Grimm, Harrowed, and White Fang Knights charged at them, roaring, snarling, hungry for blood.

And as one they died.

Jaune wasn't sure what to think when he saw Pyrrha impale one of the Faunus terrorists on her spear. Shortly after that, Nora sent a few grenades into the approaching horde, no doubt killing a few of them as well. He wasn't sure how Ren was doing, but he was almost certain that the time for him to take another person's life had come as well.

On one hand, he knew it had to happen, sooner or later. There was no way one could avoid it in their line of business, unless they decided to never leave the safety of the bigger cities.

On the other, some small, selfish part of him wanted to spare them this for as long as possible. He knew full well that when he killed his first person, some part of him died too.

 _Well, we will worry about it later._

He dodged the charging Ghoul, taking its head off as it pased by. An Ursa tried to bite his head off, but he sidestepped it, allowing a Boarbatusk charging at him from behind to collide with the bear-like Grimm. Two quick stabs later, he left their decaying corpses, to engage another enemy and smiled.

This one attacked him not with claws or teeth, but a sword. The Faunus was shouting something, he could feel the sound waves washing over his skin, but he muted most sounds long ago. Jaune deflected a clumsy strike and immediately countered, cutting off man's right hand. A fountain of red splashed out, some of it landing on Jaune's face. The blond ignored it, instead he stepped in, and brought Eclipse on man's neck.

"Thanks." Jaune muttered, as the black blade took man's head off his shoulders, and his Aura out of his body. The blond Witcher grinned, feeling a wave of power washing over him. This Faunus had come just in time. He was starting to get tired. It wasn't as strong of a rush as he remembered, but it might have been because the man's Aura was not awakened.

The blond grinned, looking around.

Well, it wasn't much, but there were a lot of snacks running around. And quantity had a quality all its own.

* * *

Ruby skidded to stop and spun around, firing two times, and activated her semblance to dash out of the way of a spectral arm that shot through spot she was just a moment before.

 _Well, at least it makes it clear he is Harrowed._ She thought bitterly. Why the hell didn't Jaune warn them about something like _that_?!

Her opponent slowly walked towards her, still with the same friendly smile. Though it looked much more creepy now, considering that he was covered in multiple cuts that oozed a black, pulsating liquid, that seemed to move on its own, and was missing one arm, replaced by green tentacles that were apparently made out of pure Aura. Six more grew out of the man's back, making it almost impossible to approach him safely. Each time she attacked they would shoot out, trying to catch her, even if she came from behind. So far she had only been hit once - a glancing hit on her leg, but it was enough to make her gasp in shock. It was ice-cold in touch, and even though it touched her skin just for a moment, she could feel her Aura being drained out.

Ruby huffed, watching the approaching man, no, monster, carefully. It looked like his range was limited, only five meters or so. But she still kept at least twenty between them. Better safe than sorry.

 _Now, what should I do?_

She couldn't defeat this monster, she just knew it. Her attacks hadn't had much effect. In fact, it appeared that the more his body got destroyed, the stronger he was getting. Her only option was to find some Witcher and let them deal with it. But if she ran off, this monster might hide somewhere. Or worse yet - go for a hunt. How many people would he kill if she let him out of her sight?

Ruby bit her lip. She could activate the distress beacon in her scroll. This would let any Hunter nearby know that she is in trouble - but now _what_ kind of trouble. If a regular Hunter showed up - they would be just as helpless as her.

She could try calling her team, but she couldn't afford to get distracted. She sidestepped a trash can that was thrown her way, and dashed backward, letting the spectral limb catch nothing but a few rose petals.

Ruby scoffed. This had to be some kind of special ability. Each time she got distracted, even for a moment, this monster suddenly appeared just a few steps in front of her. She had no idea how it worked, but she realized that as long as she didn't let it out of her sight - she was safe. Well as safe as she could be facing a deadly monster that she had no way of killing.

 _Think girl, what can you do?_

Something cracked behind her and Ruby yelped, instantly activating her Semblance, turning mid-flight to face a new enemy. There was nothing behind her, besides some stray cat, that looked at her in surprise and ran away. The red Huntress let out a relieved sigh, turning back to the real threat.

It was just in front of her, its tentacles surrounding her, a triumphant grin on its face. Ruby activated her Semblance again, dodging the spectral limbs, but one of them caught her leg.

She hit the ground hard, gasping for air. She couldn't breath, couldn't move. It was so cold, her body felt so heavy. She just wanted to close her eyes, and sleep, never wake up again.

With titanic effort, she forced herself to stay awake. She called out for her Semblance, and pushed onward. She traveled only a few meters, but thankfully it was enough to escape this death-cold grip.

Ruby pushed herself upward, making sure to keep her eyes on her enemy at all times. This was bad, very, very bad. She could barely stand, and this monster was coming closer. If it caught her again, it was over.

To her surprise, the monstrosity paused, and was just watching her intently. Its smile was gone, replaced by a curious expression.

"Why did you run? I was about to free you from all this pain. Why do you insist on making things harder for both of us?" He shook his head sadly. "It would have been so much easier if you just let go"

He walked a bit closer, this strange black dagger held firmly in his normal arm.

"Never mind. This end here." He said, smiling again, pointing at her with his dagger.

His arm exploded in a fountain of blood and flesh. Both the monster and Ruby stared at it for a second in complete shock.

And then it screamed, for the first time looking genuinely hurt.

"You know…" said a new, vaguely familiar voice. "When I kill someone, they usually have the decency to stay dead."

Ruby let out a relieved sigh, and resisted the urge to turn towards her savior.

"Be careful." She said instead. "He has some strange ability to teleport close to you if you take your eyes off him. And he can drain your Aura if he touches you."

Leon glanced at her and hummed.

"What's the range?"

"For tentacles about five meters. For teleport, I'm not sure, the longest distance he jumped was about twenty meters."

"Got it. Can you move?"

She nodded.

"Then get out of here. Yes, I heard what you said, but he won't' be able to follow you. I'll make sure of it."

"You are just delaying the inevitable! Soon, the Project will be complete and…"

"Project?" Leon hummed. "Oh, you are talking about the second train? Don't worry, it was dealt with."

The Harrowed Faunus frozen, the triumphant smile on his face slowly disappearing giving way to confusion.

"But… Master said…" he shook his head. "No matter, Master will…"

"Be dealt with." Leon interrupted him again. "But you will not be there to see it." The black sword in his hand hummed, and starring dissolving, filling air with black mist. "It's time to go to sleep, little nightmare."

Ruby watched the two of them dash at each other, and after a moment of hesitation, turned away and ran, pulling out her scroll. She quickly found the number she was looking for, and initiated the call.

She was of no use here, she would only get in Leon's way. But there were other places, and other people she could help.

* * *

Jaune sighed and got up, looking around the dark tunnel he was exploring for... Days? Weeks? It felt like it, but he knew it probably wasn't even an hour. But it was over now. Or at least would be soon. He stretched and focused on the black shape in front of him.

It looked like a human, wearing a black cape with a hood covering his head. But the fact it was floating a few centimeters in the air, and where its legs should be, there was only a cloud of black smoke, one could safely assume it was not a person.

It appeared just a few minutes earlier, first as just specks of black smoke that slowly grew and took humanoid form. And it looked like its materlization was complete. He sighed, hoping his team wouldn't do anything stupid and stick to the plan. This was not a fight in which they could stand by his side.

Suddenly, two blue spots in its head shone with intense light. It looked around, taking in the dark, ruined tunnel, the bodies lying around, and then focused on the lone human in the middle of it all.

It floated higher in the air, and it's burning eyes focused on the blond Witcher.

"Welcome, Jaune. We meet again."

The blond nodded in greeting.

"Looks like it." He rolled his head. "So, judging by fact you are now Harrowed… I think? Does it mean you won't be running away anymore?"

The black figure let out rumbling sound that might have been a chuckle.

"No, I will not. Our story ends here, Jaune."

The blond smiled, drawing Eclipse.

"Good. It has been going on for far too long, if you ask me."

The Harrowed watched him for a few moments in silence.

"You seem different. More… composed. I was certain you would attack as soon as you saw me. But your anger… it's not gone, rather… controlled?"

The blond shrugged.

"Yeah. A few things happened, forced me to rethink my life choices. Made peace with some of my decisions. With myself."

"I see. As strange it might sound, I'm glad you did." The figure floated closer, its burning eyes never leaving Jaune's. "You sure you want to face me alone?"

The blond just smiled.

"You gotta do what you gotta do." Jaune took his stance, his black blade humming with power. "Before we begin, I have one question."

"I'm listening."

"What is your name anyway?"

There were a few moments of silence.

"Joseph. Joseph Brown."

"Any family you want me to bring news to?"

Master shook his head.

"No. Beside, I think you are greatly underestimating me if you think you can defeat me alone." His form started to grow, dark sparks shooting out.

"For now, I am Master of the Damned! And they obey my WILL! **ARISE!** "

Jaune stared dumbfounded, as bodies of the White Fang soldiers he'd killed just a few minutes ago started getting up, their skin turning black, their limbs thickening, their teeth and nails growing into sharp fangs and claws. Just a few seconds later he was surrounded by six sizable Ghouls.

He glanced at Master.

"That's just cheating."

All of them attacked at once.

Jaune grinned and activated his Semblance. Time seemed to slow down, each moment, each sound, each sensation seemingly stretched to the limit. Jaune moved, carefully controlling the Aura in his body. He had to get this right, there was no room for error. He stepped in and dashed, Eclipse decapitating the first Ghoul, then he ducked, avoiding a sphere of black energy that flew by the spot where his head was a moment before.

 _One._

The blond kicked off, meeting another Ghoul head on. He ducked under its paw, burying Eclipse in its chest. He turned around, putting the dying monster in the way of an incoming blade made out of darkness. It flew straight through the monster's head, killing him on the spot.

 _Two._

Not wasting a second, Jaune freed his sword and jumped back, avoiding the Ghoul lunging at him, and then again to dodge the shadowy spike that erupted from the ground.

Something hit him from behind, but he managed to turn around before he was pinned to the ground. The Ghoul snarled at him, its maw opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of serrated teeth. Jaune shoved his fist into its maw, and activated Aegis. Burst of Aura ripped the Ghoul's head to shreds, fragments of its skull and brain falling on the blond's face.

 _Three._

Jaune wiped his eyes clean, and got up. A shadow ball hit him in the chest. It felt as if he jumped into fire. The more Aura he tried to pull out, the more it hurt. Jaune just clenched his teeth, and rode through the pain. When it disappeared, he realized he was leaning against a wall a few meters away from the spot he was previously in.

 _Ok, note to self - don't get hit by that again._

He rolled to the side, took aim and fired another burst of Aura at the two charging Ghouls. They fell, and blond quickly took advantage of the opening. The first one died before it could even get up. The second one snapped its maw at him, but the blond jumped back, sidestepped the lunge of the last Ghoul, ducked under another shadow sphere, and dashed back at the two monsters. They spread out, one clinged to wall and hissed at him, the other jumped to the side, and tried to bite his leg off.

Jaune pierced its skull and tried to sidestep, but was too slow. The dead Ghoul's body hit him, knocking him down and blocking his legs. The last beast hissed, and jumped at the immobilized Witcher.

A metal slug hit in the chest, leaving a sizable hole in place of its heart. Jaune freed himself and focused on Master.

He was currently holding a massive ball of dark energy, almost as big as Jaune himself. Multiple smaller ones surrounded it, orbiting around it like planets around the sun.

When he noticed Jaune looking at him, he bowed head in mock greeting.

"Here. Play with this." He said, throwing the giant ball at blond, all the smaller ones following it.

"Fuck." Jaune turned around and ran.

* * *

Leon slumped against wall, clutching the wound in his stomach. He chuckled, but it turned into coughing.

 _Well, this could have gone better._

He galnced to the spot where Harrowed he just killed laid - or rather what was left of it.

 _I relaly hope you have the decency to stay dead this time._

He sighed, reaching to the pocket hidden under his armor, and pulled out his scroll. The device was still working, the person on the other side no doubt hearing everything that the strange Harrowed said. And oh boy, he had a lot to say. The Faunus seemed all too happy to interrupt their fight with friendly chatter from time to time, and didn't need much encouragement to spill all their plans.

Leon chuckled.

This was all valuable intel, well worth getting his ass kicked.

They knew some of it already, suspected more, but it was good to get some confirmation, along with a few more details.

 _Cinder Fall… I wonder who she is..._

Leon sighed, his eyes slowly drifting shut.

 _I hope he sticks to the plan..._

* * *

Jaune hit ground hard, rolled and groaned. Master slowly floated towards him, accompanied by eight new Ghouls.

"You are too arrogant, my boy. I guess it's typical for young ones. You always think you can do everything best yourself. But sometimes..." Master smiled, raising his hand and forming another blade of darkness. "To do something right, you need some help." It shot towards the blond, who rolled out of the way. When he stopped, he took aim and fired.

Predictably enough, one of Ghouls jumped in the way of projectile, dying on the spot. Not that it was needed. Master proved to be extremely resistant, even hits with Eclipse didn't do any lasting damage. What AUra Jaune could rip from him, was quickly replenished and on top of that he was able to drain corrupted Aura from his surroundings. And in a very wide area. All the Ghouls Jaune killed when searching for him were now feeding his power. All the White Fang Grunts he killed, were turned into new Ghouls, and if he killed them again - it was just more power for Master himself.

Jaune surged to his feet, and started running again. Master continued bombarding him with dark spheres and shadow blades. The blond knew he couldn't keep this up forever. Master knew it too, that's why he was content to let Jaune run, and exhaust himself.

Jaune coughed, and dragged himself to his feet after yet another explosion knocked him down. He needed to get out of these damn tunnels. There was no place to hide, and no room to dodge. Thankfully, he could already see an exit. He had a plan, he just needed to stick to it.

 _It's really shitty plan…_ He thought, narrowly dodging another dark ball.

* * *

Ruby sat on the sofa, leaning on Crescent Rose. The rest of her team was there too, as well as team JNPR.

Minus their leader, of course.

She sighed for the hundredth time. This was awful. They were sitting there doing nothing, while they friend risked his life. And worst of all - they all knew full well they simply couldn't go with him. Atlas reports clearly stated that the monster lurking in those tunnels could be taken out only by a Witcher. And for some reason Jaune was sent in alone.

They protested, but the Atlas officer was unyielding. The fact that not only them, but even more experienced Hunters were strictly forbidden from even approaching the hole in the ground, made her even angrier. When Miss Goodwitch came, and Ruby had never seen her this angry, she hoped that the scary woman could help them convince Atlas soldiers to let someone go and help Jaune. But instead, she led them to this room.

Ruby sighed again, checking Crescent Rose firing mechanism for the hundredth time. She just wished there was something she could do beside sitting here.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked at her sister.

"Cheer up, Ruby. We just need to stick to the plan."

Yeah, the plan.

The young Huntress scoffed. Even though they were not allowed to go with Jaune, Miss Goodwitch at least let them know why exactly. They had a plan.

In her opinion, it was a really dumb plan.

* * *

Jaune didn't run out of the hole made by train - he was thrown out by a massive black explosion. He flew a good five meters into the air, and the slammed into the ground hard.

A black shape slowly flew out after him.

"What happened, Jaune? You were so afraid of me running away, yet all you've done up until now. Well, besides giving me more food."

"Just… wanted… to get… the terrain advantage." The blond joked between harsh gasps.

Master stared at him for a few moments, then laughed.

"Terrain advantage? You think that just because I came into sunlight, you will get an advantage? Yes, it's strangely unpleasant, but it's just a minor discomfort. Or maybe you thought that the wider area will let you better dodge my attacks, let you tire me out? Perhaps, but if that were the case, you should have led me to somewhere with less food." He floated in the air, spreading his arms wide.

"This is exactly where I wanted to be, Jaune. You not only failed at stopping me, you even helped me achieve my goal. I must say I didn't expect Atlas will be so...thorough about destroying my laboratory. I was left greatly weakened, it might have taken me weeks or even months to gather enough strength to recover. But, by killing all those Ghouls in the tunnel, you helped me recover faster. By killing all those White Fang, you helped me create more soldiers to fight in my cause."

He chuckled, black mist slowly flowing out of him.

"And now you led me here!" He shouted, making a circular motion with one hand, as if he wanted to point at all dead Ghouls, White Fang soldiers, and even some civilians.

"The essence of my children will become my strength. The bodies of my enemies will give birth to more of my children." He raised both hands, and black mist started flowing out of him. "What answer to that have you, little Witcher?"

Jaune considered it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Nora."

Master blinked, surprised.

"What?"

A pink grenade hit him in the face. The explosion didn't hurt him too much, but it blinded him for a moment. Time Jaune used to get away, with help of a white glyph that formed under his feet. Every window, every door opened revealing barrels of guns of all shapes and forms. Jaune lifted one hand to his ear, activating his earpiece.

"Fire." He said simply.

The barrage lasted almost a full minute. When it came to a stop, the blond slowly approached a small cloud of black smoke floating where Master was only a few moments before. Two blue spots, his eyes, still shone, but the light was now dimmed.

"This changes nothing, Jaune. You can't kill me. Come on, stab me with your black sword. See for yourself."

The blond Witcher shrugged.

"Oh, I know I can't kill you now. It's not real you, afterall."

Even though he was now just a floating ball of black smoke, Master still managed to look surprised.

"What…"

"I knew from very beginning that I wouldn't be able to kill you. You see, we faced a few of your creations. They gave us no end of trouble, but all shared one similarity - flesh. All of them had bodies. Some could transform it, or possess others, or even leave it and travel around, but they all needed a body, a material body to exist. If it was destroyed, they would quickly lose their power."

The blond shrugged.

"Not only that, those 'chosen' as they call themselves, they were all very talkative. Spilled out all of your plans. What you want to do, where you would be, your new abilities. "Jaune grinned. "And how eager you was for this little rematch with me. So, we figured that if you saw me alone, you would not be able to resist the temptation to take it. Especially if you had a lot of… 'materials' to work with. Sure, damaging your projection wouldn't harm you. But it will weaken you, and there has to be link between this spectral form and your real body."

Jaune checked his scroll and hummed.

"And it looks like we finally found it."

"What? How!? My laboratory was destroyed, and this attack started yesterday! I wasn't spotted until a few hours ago, you couldn't possibly find it that quickly!" Master began, but Jaune just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. After the mess you caused in Atlas, and what your little student pulled off in Spring Valley? No one would believe you were dead unless definite proof was found. Plus, some of the Fang soldiers that surrendered before Atlas blew Mountain Glenn up were high ranking officers. They told us a few interesting things too. Where do you think all the Atlas soldiers went? They were digging through all the rubble, looking for your real body and the second train. Speaking of which…"

Jaune smiled, when his scroll buzzed signaling incoming call.

"Hey Peter." The blond greeted. "Found it?"

" _Ay, I believe we did. You sure you don't want to do it yourself?"_

"No," Jaune answered firmly, looking straight into Master's eyes. "I wouldn't be able to do it right. It's… too personal for me."

" _As you wish."_

Master shook, the smoke that made his body up suddenly started spinning violently.

"So, I guess this is truly the end."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "It truly is."

"Won't you ask? Why I did all of this?"

Jaune shook his head.

"I read your journal, the one we found in Atlas. So I know what lead you to this, but I don't approve, not at all. The idea was good, but the execution… Honestly, I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that the solution to humanity misery is to turn us all into monsters."

Master chuckled, his form slowly disappearing.

"When you put it like that, it really sounds stupid. I had my reasons, you know. I would gladly share them but…" he chuckled, barely visible now. "I don't think I have time for it." He stared at Jaune for a few moments before speaking again.

"You know what surprises me the most?"

"Yeah?"

"Even after all of this, I can't bring myself to hate you."

Jaune chuckled, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, thanks? But to be honest - I really do hate you. More than anyone."

"I know. Why didn't you go to kill me yourself then?"

"That's precisely why. I hate you. And the Harrowed don't' deserve to be sent off with hatred. They've suffered enough. One should send them off with a smile and a good word. That's what I believe in. And besides, "Jaune grinned. "To go after you, I would have to leave all my friends behind. And they are more important to me than you. No offense."

Master didn't answer, but Jaune could swear he smiled. A few seconds later, he disappeared completely, all trace of his Aura gone.

"It's clear on my side. How about you?"

" _All clear."_ Said Peter Port. " _I think we got him for good this time."_

Jaune smiled, and ended the call. It was over. Master was no more. He'd often wondered how he would feel in this situation. Would he be happy? Lost? Melancholic? He heard people often grew strangely attached to their long-time enemies.

But he felt nothing like that. He was tired, hurt all over, his head threatened to explode, and he could feel the first wave of nausea. But the only thing on his mind was to check up on his friends, to make sure they were ok, and then take a shower and sleep for a week.

Jaune chuckled and turned away, heading towards the group of six Huntresses and one Hunter heading his way. It looked like he was right.

In the end, Master wasn't that important. It was his friends that mattered.

* * *

The beeping of the medical aparature was what woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"Finally awake?"

He slowly turned his head to the source of the voice, noting two swords lying on the man's lap.

"Yeah. What…"

"You were out for three days, numerous broken bones, and some internal bleeding. Doctors said you would be fine, just need to take it easy for a week or two."

Leon sighed, looking over his grinning student.

"How long have you waited for our roles to be reversed like this?"

"Oh, Gods, it feels like _forever._ I was getting afraid I'd never get to do it."

Leon chuckled.

"Yeah, but you should start with where we are, and leave out the details about injures, unless it's something they have to know."

The blond nodded.

"Got it."

"So, how'd it go on your end?"

"Good. Master is out, the White Fang is in shambles, and the Harrowed were mostly dealt with. There is extremely high Grimm activity around the city, the Council fears they might attack the walls, but so far it's peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it can be after shit like that, but I think you slept through the worst of it."

Leon chuckled.

"Glad to hear that. Any other great news?"

"Actually, yes. Apparently, someone tried to break into Beacon during all this mess. No one knew what for, but a fight broke out, and school was heavily damaged. Qrow got wounded, I saw him taken to intensive therapy with heavy burns. Don't know much else, everyone is confused, and there is no word from Beacon itself. But there is a rumor that Ozpin's dead."

Leon winced.

"Damn. I liked the guy. What about Qrow? He's the best drinking buddy I ever had."

"Form what I know, he'll live, but I don't know much else. Overall, it's one big mess."

Leon watched him for a moment.

"So, what are you gonna to do now?"

"Well, the school is out of commission, lessons suspended until further notice, and Vale is in shambles. I guess I'll stick around for awhile, there should be plenty of work available. At least until winter ends. And then." He shrugged. "I'll go back on the road. Been sitting in one place for far too long."

"Was it boring?"

Jaune laughed.

"No, it wasn't. But then, I don't think I spent much time doing student stuff." His eyebrows narrowed. "Now that I think about it, I never even got out to a club, tried to pick up girls, or got detention. It's kinda sad."

Leon laughed, and so did Jaune. They talked for a while, and then the blond left. Vale was in ruins, but his friends and family were alive. School was out, and after some debate it was decided to send the students back to their homes.

Jaune left the hospital, and smiled at his team.

"So, you made your decision?"

They nodded.

"Of course. School is out, but we still need to learn. What better way than to go out there with an experienced Hunter?" Said Pyrrha with a wink.

Nora giggled.

"Yeah, you're not getting rid of us that easily, Fearless Leader. We gotta stick together, whether you like it or not. Now, come on! Adventure, glory, and riches await!" She exclaimed, running off.

"Nora!"

"Yes, Renny?"

"Where are you going?"

"To the Company office, silly."

"It's other way."

Jaune laughed, as did Pyrrha. The future was uncertain, but when wasn't it? And whatever happened from now on, he and his team would face it together.

END.

* * *

 **(que the sound of fireworks, fanfares, and popping champagne bottles)**

 **Ladies and Gentlemens, Welcome to the last AN of TPA.**

 **First of all, my apologies - I know this chapter is very late, but it turns out that writing the last chapter is** _ **much**_ **harder than I imagined. I just couldn't get it right, and while I'm still not satisfied with how it turned out, I've decided to leave it at that.**

 **I… I honestly don't know what to say. At the moment I'm writing this, TPA has almost 1,1k favs, and over 1,3k follows.**

 **I'll be honest, this is easy three-four times more than I expected it to get.**

 **This story, it turned out to be much more than I expected. At first, I thought it would just be a silly little project, that a few people might find amusing. But somewhere along the way, it evolved into this.**

 **When I first mentioned idea for this story to JJD, I actually wanted him to write it. He convinced me to try it myself, and I was hesitant. I'd never written story myself (though I read a lot), and here, this guy wants me to write one, and in a foreign language at that?**

 **But I decided to at least give it try - I mean, the worst thing that could happen was that it would turn out I completely suck at writing. JJD helped a lot, not only with grammar (I'm so sorry you had to deal with it JJD…) and storytelling. Thanks to him, this story ended in much better place than it would be otherwise.**

 **But TPA was not only a test of my writing skills, but also patience and discipline. So many times I was tempted to push out shorter/less refined chapter, just to 'get it done'. So many times I was tempted to give myself a 'week off'. It wouldn't hurt if I skipped once, or twice, right?**

 **But I knew that if I allowed myself to be lazy once, it would happen again and again. And now, at the end of the story, I'm somewhat happy to say, I managed to stick to my schedule most of the time.**

 **Like I said, this last chapter is not something I'm happy with. I feel I could write a few more chapters, build up certain events/characters better. But then I would be just dragging other things out, and above all else - I can feel myself burning out. I know that if I try to continue writing TPA, the quality will drop, and I might end up making some half-assed, rushed ending, even worse than this one.**

 **Overall, I think I'm satisfied with TPA as my first story. I don't think it's perfect, or even particularly good - just good enough that I'm not ashamed of it. I made a lot of mistakes, and learned many things. That having a story planned out beforehand helps, especially if you want to foreshadow future events, or that writing Jaune and Weiss interacting comes way too easy to me, being among them, and something that I will definitely use in my future stories.**

 **Speaking of which - I have one already in the making. Title - Project: ARES. The main character will be one, and only…. Jaune Arc! Yes, I know, it's shocking.**

 **This one will have different theme than TPA, and will include actual romance. Who is the lucky girl, you ask? Well, it's a secret, but I'll say that it's one of less popular ships. Or maybe less represented.**

 **Anyway, the story has a few chapters ready, but I must read through them again to make sure everything is in order. Before I publish it, I think I'll take short break, maybe a week or two.**

 **So, at the end of this too logn AN, I would like to say thank you.**

 **Thank you JJD, for convincing me to write this, and being my Beta. Without you, this story wouldn't be the same - or wouldn't come to live at all.**

 **Thank you to all those who read this, and decided that TPA was good enough to follow. I'm glad you like it, and I hope I'll be able to create more stories for you to enjoy.**

 **And double thanks to those that left reviews. Reading them was fuel for my dedication. Even now, I sometimes come back to them, and reading your thoughts, your reactions to my story, it never fails to bring a smile to my face.**

 **Thank you all.**

 **And see you on the next journey.**

 **JJD: Cr00cy, it's been a hell of a ride. I'm so glad that you decided to pursue this story and start your career as a writer. It's been awesome to Beta and watch people's reactions to the twist and turns of the story. I'm excited for the next step. Onwards!**

 **If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.**

 **See you all… soon-ish.**


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